Before Paris Hilton, Jessica Alba, Audrina Patridge, Mary-Kate Olsen and Kim Kardashian discovered Sundance film festival, it was a  community event for independent film-makers. An opportunity to get together once a year, leave out the red carpets and paparazzi, and celebrate the art of film making.

Like many things that start small and have that indie vibe to it, this festival is slowly becoming a mecca for the young celebs who use this opportunity to announce to the world "Look, I' m a serious actress!". Companies are using the event to create "lounges" filled with swag and promotions that draw celebs and of course paparazzi, gawkers and press, which is probably great for the indie film making business.

I happen to be at Sundance this year, not for celebrity sightings, but for a premiere of the film I have a connection with (read my later review here). My first impression from walking down the picturesque Park City Main Street last night reminded me the New York City hot Meetpacking district, filled with clubs, bars, restaurants and ... the same celebrities. Even Perez Hilton was there to blog live from the trendy MySpace lounge!

I chose to trade the latest in favor of the Park City slopes, which had the most amazing snow powder on earth (that' s their official slogan by the way, which happen to be true). Utah is still my favorite place for a ski vacation, indie films I will be watching on the Sundance channel.

Photos by WireImage