For the most part the life of a blogger is rather boring. We sit in front of a computer screen for 12+ hours a day, hunting for news, researching articles, calling people on the phone…etc. A couple times a week we make the trip downtown to see an advance screening of the movies which get released the next week. But for the most part, our job, at least from the outside, is very boring. Of course, us discovering a new news tidbit, seeing a new trailer, or seeing a new movie weeks early are some of the reasons this is the greatest job on the planet, at least for me. It’s like if the guy from Office Space loved TPS reports.
But every once in a while we’re able to leave this boring day-to-day and go do something extremely cool. Film Festivals, Comic Con, interviewing and hanging out with our idols. And then there are times that blow my mind, like meeting our idols only to learn they read my stuff.
Im writing this on route to LAX (note: this blog was written on Friday of last week but never posted). I just spent the last 24 hours in Los Angeles thanks to the guys at Lakeshore who continue to believe that the blogs and online media, are the future of film marketing. A few of us (the usual crew, Alex from FirstShowing, Neil from FilmSchoolRejects) were flown out to see a cut of Pathology. I think we’re the last three online guys not living in/near Hollywood.
So we grabbed some In and Out, and then headed to the weird O shaped building (people call the “Deathstar”) which the CAA (Creative Artists Agency) uses to run Hollywood. The usual group of internet movie journies were in attendance. It was good to catch up with everyone, including Jen from Rotten Tomatoes, who recently left the fog for the smog (please excuse the really bad photo to the right, it was quite dark). One of the guys brought his friend Simon Pegg along. I can’t really talk about the movie as everyone has to hold their reviews for an embargo. I will say that It was better than expected, and the buzz word everyone was saying after the screening was “twisted”.
After the screening we headed to a party at a local LA dive bar. Robert from IESB hired some trashy Go-Go dancers, and all the stars of the film were in attendance. I was never able to talk to Alyssa Milano, although I did bump into her a couple times. She’s as hot as she looks on the big screen, maybe a little shorter than to be expected (but isn’t that always the case?). In attendance were: Keir O’Donnell (Wedding Crashers, Havok), and Johnny Whitworth (Empire Records, CSI Miami). Got to chat with Michael Weston (The Last Kiss, Scrubs), whose performance everyone was raving about. Very crazy, think Jack Nicholson from Burton’s Batman, but more grounded in reality.
I Got a chance to talk to Dan Callahan (Pathology, Midnight Meat Train) for a while about a film that he wrote called College, which was originally set to be released by Lionsgate, but will now be distributed by MGM. He told me it was like SuperBad but not as smart, and more vulgar, basically comparing the film to the great teen comedies from the 70’s and 80’s like Porky’s. Crank co-writer/co-director Mark Neveldinefinally explained to me how his moving bullet-time rig actually works. If you remember the article I posted about the innovation a couple weeks back, we were all confused to how it could be used, or what it will look like.
I met Milo Ventimiglia at a party at Comic Con very briefly (by that I mean a couple minutes), and was amazed when I ran into him a couple days later at a press event that he remembered my name. People have told me that this guy’s memory is insane. Well that was almost a year ago and at the party I was talking to a few people and Milo bumps into me while walking by, does a double take, then stops. “Peter, how you’ve been?” Milo is just a really cool guy. The nicest actor I’ve ever met in Hollywood. We talked with him about the film, and somehow conversation came around to his first role, which was a one-liner in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Milo was probably the only sober one in the place, because he doesn’t drink. From left to right we have KEvin Kelly from io9, Me, Neil from FilmSchoolRejects, Milo, and then the drunk guy who runs FirstShowing. As you can see in the photo above, Alex was pretty drunk.
It was a blast. I want to thank Lakeshore, all the cool people I met and hung out with at the Party, Robert from IESB for proving the girls, John Campea from The Movie Blog for making this happen and snapping some higher resolution photos (as you know, camera phones suck in low light).
I leave you with some NSFW photos taken at the party, after the jump.
Neil infront of the pool tables where the Go-Go Dancers do their thing
 Alex was trying to order another drink (not that he needed one) when a Go-Go dancer got between him and the bartender
Neil from Rejects and Jen from Rotten Tomatoes
March 24th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Wow… I was drunk.
Not as drunk as Alex, though.
March 24th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Peter,
try and laugh once in a while, especially when someone’s taking your picture. You always look dead serious, like you’re about to go into surgery :)
March 24th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
And by laugh of course I mean smile.
March 24th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
LOL Peter!
Does that chick gotta shoot a ping pong ball our of cootch to make you show some teeth? It looks like she was getting ready to bounce one off the back of our head to get your attention.
Glad you’re having such a great time…. keep living the dream..and steal what you can from the hotel.
March 24th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
I’m very bad at smile. Actually, I’m very bad with photos period. Before I was 21 I rarely appeared in front of a camera, and I was one of those guys who skipped his Yearbook photos. I just hate photos. I’m sure I’ll learn how to smile eventually :)
And actually, I thought my photo with Milo was probably my “happiest” looking photo so far (likely because I was kinda drunk when it was snapped).
March 24th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
There were go-go dancers.
Peter smile damnit!
March 24th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
I wish I had your job…
March 24th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
i hope this film thanks the blogs when the credits roll.
March 24th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Neil is kind of cute.
March 24th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Geez Peter…. For someone who loves film, you’d think you’d be comfortable around a camera. My advice, is go out and buy a DECENT CAMERA!
For 1. Our sake and the blog.
2. So you can be comfortable around one, and when taking pictures, you then begin to see what is expected when a photo is being taken of you.
No matter how contrived… you need to smile/behave like everyone else in the photo. Otherwise, you come off as looking like you don’t belong in the photo. Which is why you tend to look like you’re “photo shopped ” in to most of your photo’s. I hate to say it…but its true.
A lot of times when I see photo’s with you in them, I’m reminded of that photo that was on the internet of the guy standing on the observation deck of the world trade center as one of the planes was about to fly into it is in the background.
March 24th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
after thought….
unless you actually do photo shop yourself into all these photos…then, I must tip my hat to you sir, and say “you are a genius.”
March 24th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Jonny: point taken. I was a director for many years, and am very comfortable behind the camera, but never in front of it. But point taken.
And The reason wy I didn’t bring my good digital camera was because I didn’t think we were allowed to. All I had on me was my iphone.
March 24th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Peter, I respected you more when you said it was just a cell phone camera. Now that I know you own an iphone…. Well, All I can say is I hope Hunter has one too. Cuz if its not standard /film equipment… I’m more than a little disgusted.
:P
Peter, You can take a camera anywhere you want. If a place is open to the public, that is a public space. You may not be able to take a picture of anything you want…but you can take a camera anywhere.
If you’re worried about security…just put it in the bottom of a knapsack filled with tampons and douche bags.
March 24th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Jonny: Not true. I use to carry my digital camera with me everywhere, but now at press screenings they wand you and cameras are not allowed, no exceptions. Sometimes they even have a cell phone check (like a coat check but with cell phones). And the screening was at the evil deathstar (CAA) building, so I didn’t want to take any chances. However, the whole afair was a lot more laid back than normal events.
March 24th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
the terrorists have won….
:(
March 25th, 2008 at 11:05 am
@ Non-Smile Haters
Personally, I like that Peter doesn’t smile in photos because it nicely balances out Alex’s mega-watt drunken explosion of happiness.
@ Peter
Diablo was there?
March 26th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
NICE! I got an invite through the DSC. I’ve never been to anything like this before, the private screening and afterparty. Both were fantastic and I know a lot of that has to do with the people involved. Everyone I spoke with was fab. I was able to meet Alyssa Milano and chatted with her about what she had said during the Wizard World panel. She is a down to earth sweetheart. I was never a fan, but the meetup made me respect her and want to know more about her.
I was also happy to see that it is true that Milo Ventimiglia doesn’t drink. I had read that he didn’t, but to see it was something else entirely. I say that I don’t drink, or at least drink seldom (like 2-3 drinks a year, if that), and I even drank (1/5th of a rum and Coke. I don’t think that really counts *L*). Either that made me giddy, or I was getting something from being around drunken people. What do you expect from an open bar? *L*
March 29th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Thanks for posting those pics, Peter! I’ll be the first to say thanks to the iPhone for putting out dark and blurry pictures when I’m in them :) I miss you guys! When will we see you/Alex/Neil in LA? As you found, it ain’t too bad…