Well, it's time to finally bid a fond adieu to the 97th annual Seattle International Film Festival. After four glamour- and gossip-filled weeks, the harsh house lights rise revealing our provincial fishing village strewn with stale popcorn, torn ticket stubs, and shattered dreams. But we still have our memories, don't we?

Mine include charming hotties like Jason Bloom, the director of the special jury prize winner Viva Las Nowhere, who confessed to me in the W bar, "It's a flawed, weird, odd, off-kilter film." Mr. Bloom's last big hit was Biodome, so let's all keep our fingers crossed for this country and western "Blood Simple meets Psycho."

Another delightfully oddball offering at the festival was Iron Ladies, a comedy about transgendered volleyball players from Thailand. A SIFF volunteer told me that the cute and queer cast flirted shamelessly with her boyfriend! "But he's from Ohio and I'm sure he was just trying to concentrate on driving."

Holding court at the Lava Lounge was Christian Ryser, the transplanted Seattle actor in town from NYC for the showing of the film Positive Reinforcement. "It's about the white-trash ritual of watching cars go around in circles until somebody crashes and dies, which is what I did in my last relationship." Okey-dokey then!

Perhaps the most charming folks I met were David Hayter and Marisa Cody, who warmed the hospitality suite at the Sheraton with megawatt glamour and down-home manners. The boyishly handsome Mr. Hayter is the scribe of X-Men, and his willowy fiancée confessed, "Four years ago, I bought him food for his birthday and now look at him! I guess that was one of the wiser investments I've ever made."

Sadly, all of these lovely visitors were long gone by the time of the big Closing Night Party Sunday at the Showbox. Despite the presence of local luminaries Greg Vandy and Darek Mazzone (both DJs at KEXP), and talented documentarian Shannon Gee, the highlight of this horrible party was hurling chocolate-covered almonds at the trophy wives of software designers. Until next year, Dear Readers, make the magic last!