Hit the Gasparilla Film Festival's announcement of its 2008 lineup today. Let me first say that the Don Vincente de Ybor Historic Inn in Ybor City gives off a more promising vibe than last year's inaugural car dealership parking lot off Dale Mabry.

I get the impression that GFF president Eric Odum (who had last year's great idea) and first-year executive director John Rosser are cleaning up well after last year's problems.  And not just because they mentioned the Blood Feast 45th anniversary screening at Channelside on March 1 that I suggested and is revving up to be quite the experience.

Sorry, I need to catch my breath after such a long, punctuation-less shameless plug.

(But it's gonna be cool.)

Anyway, the GFF has an interesting lineup of films, starting with the Feb. 27 opening night film, Kabluey. It looks like an edgy comedy starring Lisa Kudrow and Chris Parnell, who I always enjoyed on Saturday Night Live. It's also produced by Jeff Balis, a Berkeley Prep graduate with Project Greenlight producing credits and the Bennigan's spoof Waiting... that made me skip the Monte Cristo ever after. He's directing a sequel.

But, hey, he's a Tampa guy.

Swear to Spielberg: Mama Guava from the Gasparilla parade messaged me the other day about Balis because he's a former student of hers.  That's enough for me to want to meet him.

Anyway, another interesting GFF entry is The Flock, a thriller with Richard Gere and Claire Danes that's produced by Bauer-Martinez Studios. Maybe you read the story a few years ago when they opened offices in Largo to match the ones in Los Angeles. They gave us Citizen Jury with Jerry Springer as a housewarming gift.

BMS usually produce and distribute overseas with name actors but have a project that may be filmed somewhere here, if everything falls together. We'll see what happens.

The Gasparilla festival has 81 movies -- features, shorts, docus -- in the lineup, representing 10 countries. Many are Latin American, to showcase Tampa's Hispanic heritage. Odum and Rosser were clear about their intentions to make visiting filmmakers and distributors aware of Tampa Bay's scenic possibilities, including Ybor City lodgings.

Check out the lineup. Tickets are $10 for every screening except special ones with extras like opening night at Tampa Theatre, closing night and a shark flick in-between (Terry Tomalin will love that), both at Florida Aquarium.

And don't miss Blood Feast. Remember, Joe Bob said check it out.