September 27 - It was like Cannes sans palm trees and yachts when the 40th New York Film Festival opened with a star-studded premiere of About Schmidt, a drama starring Jack Nicholson, Kathy Bates, Hope Davis, Dermot Mulroney, June Squibb, Len Cariou and Howard Hessman. An unexpected slew of stars showed up, including Hollywoodites Salma Hayek, Julianne Moore with director Bart Fruendlich, Peter Sarsgaard, Maggie Gyllenhaal (the last two could sell a vowel, right?), Parker Posey, Keanu Reeves and Kitty Carlisle Hart. Non-screen names adding to the glitter were author Kurt Vonnegut and handbag designer Monica Lewinsky. A splashy party at Tavern on the Green capped the evening.