Looking backward. Isn’t that what today is about? I guess it’s infected me because the subject I’m about to broach was not something I was going to revisit. However, recent reports I’ve read and new thoughts I’ve had compel this post. :D
I’ve run through a range of musings about The Hobbit premiere in New York. One of my first thoughts was New York is too cool to get excited about a movie premiere. This is a matter of pride for New Yorkers. They love to let you know they make barely a flicker of an eye when the famous pass by them. After countless trips to New York and living there one summer, I can attest to the sheer numbers of celebrities strolling around the streets and making the ho hum attitude understandable. But another thought was remembering the fanfare I’ve seen there. “Ticker tape” parades so huge the surreal feeling takes days if not weeks to go away. When these people throw a party, they know how to throw a party!
Outside at The Hobbit premiere was like a meeting. No party atmosphere but the distinct feeling it was all business. I could almost hear the marching orders repeating themselves in the heads of some of the cast who came to the fans lined on the street, “If you greet the fans, make it short. Don’t linger. Get it done and get inside the theater. And for God’s sake watch the cars coming down the street behind you!” Yep, the normal traffic flow was not completely blocked but rather interspersed with the celebrities’ cars stopping in front of the Ziegfield Theater which made it a dicey affair for the cast to be on the street. Then there were the thugs (TheQueen has another name for them) trying to get autographs to hawk on eBay. Since I had effected the New York cool, I wasn’t too worried about them even if they could have easily pushed me down on the barricade and busted my kneecaps. No problem. I was there to see Richard Armitage blast it! and after my deal with the thugs, no sweat (picture the optimist who was put in a room full of horseshit. :D)
But I’ve been wondering if the sober feeling from many of the cast was actually the ominous thought of combating traffic and facing the New York thugs. Something has to explain the wary looks I saw from some of them. Their demeanor was certainly a far cry from the cheerfulness in Wellington, Tokyo and London. It makes me wonder if this is the norm for New York premieres. I’ve never been to a movie premiere in New York. Never been to a movie premiere, so I really don’t know. I had only seen two live streaming until this one.
But despite all of that, I must give thanks to someone for a very enjoyable part of my premiere experience:
Dear Andy Serkis,
Man, I love you! Thank you for injecting some party atmosphere into the affair known as The Hobbit Premiere NYC. Thank you for the time you spent with the fans lined on the street. You almost single handedly made me forget the feeling of a business arrangement.
And I have a suggestion for your colleagues at next year’s premiere to make them feel secure about dealing with the fans, the thugs and might help with dodging traffic. I’m passing this along now so they have a whole year to practice.
Signed,
One of Richard’s crazy fans who thought your wife was also lovely. :)P.S. I watched Distant Voices, Still Lives the the other day. Wow.
And a big thank you to @nancyjohnson1 for holding a place for TheQueen and me since yours truly had to run errands until about 45 minutes before the premiere. Phew!
Watch someone take all of this seriously. Yes, I’m talking to the action fans. This subject isn’t about a cure for cancer nor a solution to world strife, so it is not serious. LOL!
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RAFrenzy 
Love that clip! The thought of the celebs doing that at a premiere is hilarious! :)
[…] But that particular corner of strangeness that loomed there that night is further analyzed here. […]
SERPENTINE!
ROFL and crying. :: wipes streaming eyes::
We know how to take the happy out of something, don’t we? Thanks for putting it back in. : D
Like I said, I love to laugh. :D
Could the wary look have been caused by fatigue simply? I saw in many later interviews RA being simply exhausted. It must have been the same for them all.
Mind you, they travelled around the world, different time zones in a matter of just several days. Probably couldn’t get proper sleep because of that. In the short time span they did countless interviews, shows, fan meetings, you name it. This must have been an ordeal.
Of course it could have been fatigue, but you need to watch the video. :D
I did now – hillarious. Maybe I have had too much champagne but I am lost.
The vid will help them when they do the Hobbit 2 premiere in NY but as for the Hobbit I premiere, the hint comes too late.
By the way, RA is #4 on IMDb this week.
Still can’t get the durned vid to load. Maybe once I’m in Big D?
Happy New Year to you Frenz!
Haha i have to see that movie! love those two! Andy sure was like a ray of sunshine there! Totally unfazed by the atmosphere – he’s such a natural in public. I wish I had known traffic would have been temporarily blocked off (I did ask security there) you’re right it was business like usual in NYC though the atmosphere entirely different to a theatre stagedoor experience there. Of course the only issue there is sidewalk traffic :)
Glad you liked it, Anneke.
Thanks, Joanna! Happy New Year to you!
Iz, next time the thugs need to hold off traffic and we’ll get their autographs for them. :D
TheQueen, are you using your iPad to watch? If so, that’s the problem. The In-laws vid is a flash video. You need to install program to easily watch flash videos (flv) on your iPad. We can talk elsewhere. I’m glad this happened because I need to remember this for iPad viewers.
I found the entire movie online at Youtube in one video:
Kathryn, I’m just blind; otherwise, I don’t know how I missed your comment! I still laugh every time I see that clip.
Hope you had a wonderful holiday. :)
[…] Frenz and TheQueen comment on their trip to New York, during which they saw the arrivals for the premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. TheQueen in particular has a lot to say about autograph hunters. […]
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[…] for the record, the autograph thugs were all white guys. Just […]