The 3-D animated story of a struggling “super villain” who is eventually softened by the three little orphans whom he rescues is fun and kid-friendly.
Debuting at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, the audience included most of the cast: Steve Carell as Gru, Jason Segel as Vector, Russell Brand as Dr. Nefario, Julie Andrews as Gru’s mother, Will Arnett as Mr. Perkins.
The audience was lively, not not near as responsive as the electrified Eclipse audience. The after-party was held in the same tent on the event deck as Eclipse. They even used the same giant moon balloon at the Despicable Me premiere.
By the way, what’s up with the moon theme? And they both premiered around the same full moon (yesterday). And there was even a minor lunar eclipse yesterday (a brilliant marketing flourish). And this month’s moon is no ordinary moon – it’s known as the Mead Moon, according to Garrison Keilor’s Writer’s Almanac. Coincidentally my brother and I harvested honey yesterday at his house in Santa Monica. Seriously! Photographic proof:
And is it a mere coincidence that DESPICABLE contains the letters for the word ECLIPSE? Okay…
That one was a stretch. The Despicable Me after-party was mostly a family affair with IHOP sponsored beverages and little dancing “Minions.” Rainn Wilson was there with his wife and child – as was most of the cast of “The Office.” Steve Carell was the man of the hour, surrounded by kids and parents and a couple watchful security guards.
The musical score was perhaps the most striking thing about the film. Pharrell Williams and the talented Heitor Pereira did a remarkable job with the music. The theme song is especially catchy:
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On Thursday evening I willing subjected myself to the realm of screaming tween “Twi-hards” at the world premiere of Eclipse at the LA Film Festival. As we drove downtown to the Nokia Theatre, throngs of screaming fans lined the streets, waiting for the stars to arrive. Mingling in the theater foyer with the Kardashian sisters, Jennifer Love Hewitt, that guy from that show etc, we finally found seats on balcony level, right above where the stars entered. A general high-pitched screaming signaled the arrival of Kristen Stewart in a white, backless gown. Moments later, a much louder wave of screams heralded Robert Pattinson in his burgundy suit. And finally, Taylor Lautner entered with his posse of body guards and friends. He was surprisingly wearing a shirt.
The movie was enjoyable and didn’t take itself too seriously – with a few jokes that landed well. The enthusiastic audience made the atmosphere electric and it was fun to see the stars below us, watching their own sensationally popular movie. The after party was a big event. A giant tent with a glowing “moon” globe hanging above arrangements of fake trees, rocks and “snow” with couches and a long ice bar. We chatted with various famous faces and an interesting Danish director named William Stahl. William explained that Danes do not claim to be anything like a “director” or “producer” or “musician” until they do it full time, professionally. He was surprised with the fact that Hollywood often operates differently – there are hoards of “directors” and “producers” and “actors” in this town, that in reality do not earn their living as such. His music video is great:
And that was that.
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Twitter events are so 2009, but I was curious to see what some really interesting panelists had to say on the subject of “tweeting” today at the LA Film Festival. On this blustery evening I sat down near the Marriott pool where several directors and producers talked about using Twitter in the movie biz. Jon Chu (Step Up 2: The Streets, Step Up 3-D), Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko, The Box), Eli Roth (writer/director, Hostel; actor Inglourious Basterds), and Adam Shankman (director, Hairspray; judge on So You Think You Can Dance) talked about their experiences with Twitter.
The two most entertaining and outspoken of the group were Adam and Eli. Adam Shankman proclaimed that his Godfather was Barry White. And Eli Roth ironically described how Twitter had transformed his sex life. It shouldn’t have been surprising to me that I knew Adam Shankman’s face from the Twitter frenzy that resulted after a video of Shankman and Miley Cyrus grinding on the dance floor flew around the interwebs. (By the way, I do hope that’s the last time I’m ever inclined to link to TMZ).
Really, although I thought the event was pretty uninformative, it was useful to hear these Hollywood “insiders” all say how Twitter is a great way to dispel rumors instantly, and a way to disseminate news instantly as well. I suppose that Twitter as a PR and interactive tool for public figures, especially entertainers, is really valuable. Shankman remarked that he gets most replies when he asks questions about mundane, petty choices – like what to watch on TV. But when he asks a big question, people are less engaged. Not sure what this interesting fact says about Twitter as a medium or about his “followers.”
Though Twitter can definitely be a double-edged sword for celebrities; the flip side is when fans tweet about celebrity locations. As the always cheerful Kristen Stewart said,
“Twitter f–ks me over every day of my life… I see people on their phones and I just want to take these cookies and throw them.”
(On fans tweeting her whereabouts.)
Looking forward to that cheery personality tomorrow evening at the Twilight premiere!
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