The 2008 Palm Beach International Film Festival (PBIFF) will be the first to participate in the new "A&E IndieFilms Spotlight" campaign. As part of this campaign, select films from the festival will be featured in short segments on the A&E network and on their website, with one film being chosen to be televised nationally. PBIFF is the first of four festivals that will benefit from this promotion. "This is such a wonderful opportunity for the festival and especially for the filmmakers who will benefit from the vast A&E audience," said festival Director Randi Emerman. "We’re thrilled to have been selected to participate in this program and look forward to a long and rewarding relationship with A&E!" This year’s festival has a fresh lineup of celebrities and films for its 13th annual event, which runs April 10-17. The stars include Juno director Jason Reitman, Cheryl Hines (Waitress), and Josh Hutcherson (Bridge To Terabithia). Tristan Rogers, of General Hospital fame, will host the opening gala for a second time. Among the movies being shown are the opening night feature, The Grand, a high-stakes poker movie from Zak Penn that stars Hines, Woody Harrelson, Ray Romano and Dennis Farina. Of the 141 films at the festival, twelve will be world premieres. The festival will also feature selections from Israel and Morocco, as well as music-themed and family films. As in past festivals, there will be a selection of shorts and outstanding local and student films. For more information please visit pbifilmfest.org/

Rock and a Hard Place (Another Night at the Agora), will premiere at the 2008 PBIFF on April 12th at Mizner Park in Boca Raton. Producer/Writer Diane Jacques and Director Aaron Wells follow the rise and fall of seven South Florida bands including The Kids featuring Johnny Depp, Z-Cars, Critical Mass, Tight Squeeze, and others. "We are very excited about premiering at PBIFF," states Wells "The film gives us a chance to step back in time and experience some of the best rock music to ever come out of South Florida." For more information please visit AnotherNightAtTheAgora.com.

Cracker - The Last Cowboys of Florida was directed by Victor Milt and has already met with enormous popular approval in limited screenings around Florida and New York. The film examines the little known history of cattle ranching in Florida through the intimate life of the Florida cowboy on the range, in the rodeos, and in dozens of revealing interviews. As the cowboys and ranchers grapple with the loss of their grazing lands to encroaching development, solutions are sought and found in this compelling documentary. The official world premiere will be at the 2008 PBIFF at Mizner Park in Boca Raton on April 14th. For more info visit pbifilmfest.org/.

BET’s Spring Bling ’08 hit Singer Island Beach in Riviera Beach for a repeat performance from March 28-30. Thousands of people stayed at local hotels and enjoyed a Get to Steppin’ competition and hip-hop and R&B acts like Wyclef Jean, Soulijah Boy, and Lil’ Wayne. This year’s production airs in April on BET. Thanks to the City of Riviera Beach, PBC Environmental Resource Management, Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Fish and Wildlife, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the numerous other agencies and individuals who made this second trip a huge success! For more information please visit www.bet.com.

The SPEED Channel broadcast 19 reved-up hours of coverage of the 6th Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event which rolled into the South Florida Fair Grounds & Expo Center in West Palm Beach. "Palm Beach is a fantastic setting for the fabulous cars and nonstop action," said Craig Jackson, Chairman/CEO of Barrett-Jackson. Bel Airs, Porsches, and Caddies were all up for grabs. Tony Soprano’s 2003 Cadillac Escalade from The Sopranos was only one of the hot cars crossing the block. Proceeds from several cars benefited a variety of charities. For info visit barrett-jackson.com.

According to Megan Neiner, Account Executive at Catalogs by Lorel, "Lilly always shoots in Palm Beach County because the locations are beautiful, the weather is almost always gorgeous, and the local people we work with are lovely." The shoot was for the Fall catalog. With the help of All-Star Locations in Boca Raton, they found a home in Wellington, a ranch in Jupiter and were even able to find a classic Woody from Ragtops in West Palm Beach. For info call 561.233.1000.

The annual gathering of fashionistas has come to a close. The high-profile events ranged from informal invite only gatherings to ticketed runway shows. This year’s locations included Worth Avenue and The Colony in Palm Beach, CityPlace in West Palm Beach, The Bears Club in Jupiter, Downtown Delray Beach, Mizner Park in Boca Raton, and other exciting spots around the county. The luxurious lifestyle event brings approximately 2,000 room nights to Palm Beach County each year. For more information please call 561.233.1000

Five Star Entertainment of Boca Raton and William Shatner will produce a TV special and DVD based on Shatner’s album "Has Been," announced Scott Woolley, President of Five Star. Also new at Five Star is Dr. Wendy Walsh, the host of their new show, The Balancing Act, on the LIFETIME Network. Walsh’s credits include Court TV and The Learning Channel. For more infomation please call 561.279.7827

Piers and Jetties

Two locations that are unique to coastal counties include piers and jetties. Piers extend out to sea and can be used to capture a romantic sunrise over the ocean. Couples frequent the Juno Beach Pier which is 990 feet with a tee end two shade structures, and a bait shop. Jetties direct a current and make a great location to film with only the ocean as a backdrop. Palm Beach County has several Jetties. Ocean Inlet Park in Ocean Ridge has an Intracoastal Waterway frontage of 1,100 feet. The jetty is near a beautiful ocean overlook. South Inlet Park, in Boca Raton, has a stone jetty that often has pelicans. Jupiter Beach Park in Jupiter has yet another scenic jetty. If you need only ocean as a backdrop, look no further, Palm Beach County has the options you are looking for! For info call 561.233.1000.

The Palm Beach International Film Festival and the Palm Beach County Film & Television Commission will host the 2008 Student Showcase of Films this month. The competition recognizes outstanding students with over $25,000 in awards, prizes and scholarships. New this year, an "Audience Award" will be given to the most popular film in an online vote, and the Palm Beach County Video Competition, which was developed to increase the positive visibility of the County on sites such as YouTube. The awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday, April 15th at Palm Beach Community College’s Lake Worth Campus, Duncan Theatre. Winning films will be screened at the students’ own premier during the festival. For info call 561.233.1000.