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chatterbox: Gossip, speculation, and scuttlebutt about politics.

Sundance or Davos?A celebrity quiz.

By Timothy Noah
Posted Thursday, Jan. 26, 2006, at 7:13 PM ET

It's hell being an A-lister this week. The Sundance Film Festival (Jan. 19-29) in Park City, Utah, and the World Economic Forum (Jan. 25-29) in Davos, Switzerland, are being held concurrently, requiring the planet's most important people to make finely calibrated calculations as to which event confers greater status. It doesn't help matters that the agendas of the two events are converging. The theme at Davos this week is "The Creative Imperative"; meanwhile, Robert Redford, in the Sundance festival's daily newsletter, calls for "expanding individual rights and diversifying the power base of our democracy." A fundamental tenet of both conferences is that creative and brainy people do their best thinking while skiing.

Which to attend? Each VIP must resolve this exquisite dilemma in his or her own way. Al Gore chose Sundance. Angelina Jolie chose Davos. That suggests a strong impulse to play against type. But not everybody acts on it. Bill Gates went to Davos, and Shannen Doherty went to Sundance, just like you expected they would.

What follows is a list of attendees, panels, and other events at the two gatherings. Readers are invited to match each name, panel, or event with either Davos or Sundance. Click here for the correct answers.

Pelé

"Brave New World: Entertainment and Social Change"

John Podesta

Jonathan Demme

"Production Technology Now"

"The New Edge of Technology"

Peter Gabriel

Alfred P. Sloan Prize

"Reveal Your True Colors"

Kay Redfield Jamison

Michael Douglas

"All You Ever Wanted To Know About Relationships—But Were Afraid To Ask"

Todd Purdum

Christo

Bono

Timothy Garton-Ash

"Celebrity Inspired Action"

"The Other Side of the Story"

Yesterday (a film)

La Tragedia de Macario (a film)

Eric Alterman

Brad Pitt

"Where Is The Media?"

"Escaping the Market's Tyranny"

"Who Picks Up The Tab?"

Matthew Cooper

Andrew Lack

Meghan O'Rourke

Dan Glickman

"Culture, Religion, and Making Money"

Neil Young

Caveat emptor: It's conceivable that one or more of the above participants double-dipped. It was possible to attend Sundance last week and then jet to Davos this week. (Your Coogi sweater would be equally useful in both places!) I have assumed, however, that no one is that meeting-mad.