Archives for September 2012

Never in a million years would I have ever expected to find myself rubbing elbows with celebrities but that is exactly where I found myself last Monday.  I was invited by Disney to be a part of an exciting whirlwind trip for 25 bloggers to learn about several new Disney movies first hand from the directors, writers, actors, and other people who all had a hand in the creation of several wonderful films, including on of my favorites, Frankenweenie.  It is a black and white stop-motion animated movie inspired by Director Tim Burton’s California childhood and the loss of his beloved dog.

Here we are walking down the stairs at the Kodak Theater.  Can you find me in this picture?

From the steps of the Kodak Theater we made our way to the El Capitan Theater where the premiere was taking place and boy was it a mob scene!  There were paparazzi everywhere, tons of people, and several celebrities and I was in the middle of it all!! 
My heart raced a little when I saw the check-in sign and I realized this was really happening!  Like most non-celebrities, I had never been on a red carpet before or in this case, a white carpet.   Yes, I said white carpet.  The appropriately black and white themed premiere for Frankenweenie had us all dressed in our best black and white ensembles and instead of a red carpet, there was a white carpet.  As I walked towards the theater I began to hear “Over here Ms. Ryder!” “Winona, look this way!”  And there she was.  Winona Ryder was right across the “ropes” from me.  I was so surreal!

I couldn’t believe how close I was to this famous actress but this was only a prelude to what was to come.  As we entered the beautiful El Capitan Theater I was in awe of both its beauty and old time feel.  We grabbed our drinks and popcorn and found our way to our seats.  I sat down in my seat on the inside end of my row with nervous anticipation and began to look around.  That’s when I realized that the actors and actresses were sitting right in the theater with the rest of us.  No special seats.  No barricades.  Just them and us, together.  As I looked across the aisle from my end seat I saw Martin Landau two rows back.  Several rows behind him also on an aisle seat was Martin Short and right behind him was Winona Ryder.  Right there, on the aisle seat a few rows back.  Winona Ryder!  I considered having to subtly get up and go to the restroom just to have a reason to pass right by her but the movie was about to start and I thought better of it.  Right at that moment I was wishing they hadn’t taken away our cameras during the movie.  I did have my cellphone with me but I knew I wouldn’t be able to get a very good picture with it in the theater and I didn’t want to make a spectacle of myself.   So instead I took it all in and listened to the music being played on the organ that in front of the curtain.
I will be doing a review of Frankenweenie in a future post but I will tell you that it was an amazing movie.  Easily one of Tim Burton’s best films to date.
After the movie we went to the after party where we dined on what else but  several versions of  hot dogs from pigs in a blanket to hot dogs in pretzel buns.  And several of the desserts were dog themed, too.
But the food wasn’t the best part.  The most memorable part was really being elbow to elbow with so many celebrities.
Tim Burton blowing Winona Ryder a kiss
I HATE how I look in this one but my kids LOVE Ryan Ochoa from iCarly and Pair of Kings so I took this picture for them.  I have to say that Ryan Ochoa was so genuine and gracious when I spoke with him after we took this picture.  What an amazing young man!
I’m a good wife.  I took this boobalicious picture of me with Elvira just for my boobie loving hubby. 😉
Tom Kenney (the voice of SpongeBob Square Pants) and me
“SpongeBob” was nice enough to even record a short video saying hi to my children by name in the SpongeBob voice!Even the Beverly Hills Chihuahua needs a water break every now and then.  Tim Burton was pouring water for the famous pooch.Here is a picture I took with Deep Roy (he played all the Oompa Lumpas from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).
Here I am with the genius director behind Frankenweenie, Tim Burton.  I guess even famous directors sometimes blink when taking pictures.  They really ARE just like us! 😉

I also saw Jared (the Subway guy), Conchata Ferrell, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Landau, Elvira, Tia Carrere, Charlie Tahan, Atticus Shaffer, and Robert Capron.  I also had the privilege of being a part of a private interview with Charlie Tahan, Atticus Shaffer, and Robert Capron so keep an eye out for that.
All good things must come to an end and this is me leaving the event.  My only regret was not being fast enough to catch Winona Ryder as she walked out the door.  I really wanted to take a picture with her but I wasn’t able to stop her before she was whisked away.   That’s my goal for next time!I’ll leave you with a few photos of the stars courtesy of WireImage.