Get a Virtual Foot in Hollywood’s Door

Those aspiring to make their mark in Hollywood look not only to film and television these days but to the Internet too.

A reflection of that is this week’s Opening the Doors to Hollywood Conference, with seminars and panels on story and film acquisitions, production and distribution, and on such new media topics as interactive writing and storytelling. Panelists will be speaking on topics that include television and film development and the Internet, entertainment Webcasting and the commercial production world online.

For more information about the conference, being held Tuesday through Sunday at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, call (310) 288-1882, or point your browser to https://www.hollywoodfilmfestival.com

* Native Americans: Although you’re taking the day off in celebration of Columbus Day today, many people remember that Christopher Columbus wasn’t actually the first person to discover America. In honor of that, it’s also Indigenous Peoples Day. At Indian.com (https://www.indian.com), you’ll find information about American tribes and culture. There’s also the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Partnerships Across Nations, which works to improve relations with the Native American community (https://www.aphis.usda.gov/anawg

/amerind.html).

* Think Globally: Thursday is World Food Day, which recognizes the 1945 founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization and aims to raise consciousness about food and hunger. The Peace Corps’ Web site has info about World Food Day, nutrition, hunger, starvation and what volunteers are doing to make this a “food secure” world, at https://www.peacecorps.gov/www/dp/wwswfd2.html. InterAction, a global organization of nonprofits, has information about famine and what you can do to help (https://www.interaction.org).

* Breast Cancer Info: For comprehensive news and information on breast cancer research, programs and support, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation is now online. The site, which also features “talk back” sections where survivors share their experiences, can be found at https://www.komen.org. For related information, pertinent especially during this Breast Cancer Awareness Month, go to Race for the Cure (https://www.raceforthecure.com) and BreastCancerInfo.com (https://www.breastcancerinfo.com)

* Not-So-Secure Securities: Sunday is the 10th anniversary of “Black Monday,” the Dow Jones’ worst day in history. That make you a little jumpy? Well, head to https://www.dowjones.com to find out how the market is doing today. Better safe than sorry, so check out the New York Stock Exchange (https://www.nyse.com), the American Stock Exchange (https://

www.amex.com) and Nasdaq (https://www.nasdaq.com) while you’re at it.

* On a Lighter Note: Here’s a day that’s bound to rally the troops: Boss Day. Well, bosses are people too. And what better Web site to show your appreciation for your boss than the When Winners Work for Losers Web page (https://www.myboss.com/), where you can vote your boss into the Hall of Fame (this is not a good thing . . .) or get information about becoming your own boss. There’s always the My Boss Sucks anti-stress site (https://members.aol.com/

btrumanz/gripe.htm), where you’ll feel better about your boss after reading stories from other disgruntled workers.

* Ski Buffs: The Mountain Zone (https://www.mountainzone.com) and Warren Miller Entertainment have just partnered to bring 50 years of ski and snowboarding film footage to the Web. The Mountain Zone’s new Warren Miller Gallery also has vintage photos, downloadable snowboarding and skiing bloopers and screen savers from the well-known ski and snowboard filmmaker.

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