The “TimesTalks” Interview with George Clooney & Alexander Payne

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This past Wednesday afternoon, the fabulous Miss Pinky Lovejoy, of the Thinking Pink blog, informed me that she had just scored two tickets to The New York Times “TimesTalks in L.A.” interview with actor George Clooney and his The Descendants director Alexander Payne.  Pinky wanted me to be her plus-one for the event, which was taking place that evening at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, and, even though I have never been a huge George Clooney fan, I immediately accepted.  Now don’t get me wrong, I loved Ocean’s Eleven and think GC (yes, there’s another one!) is a great actor, but, unlike most females on the planet, he has never been my end-all, be-all.  I have always just kind of felt fair-to-middling about the guy.  Oh, how that was all about to change!  Pinky and I showed up to the event about an hour early and there were already a good 100 people in line.  Thankfully though, we were able to snag some second row seats and Pinky was literally on the edge of hers the entire time waiting for the interview to begin.  You see, George Clooney has long been Pinky’s “unicorn”.  While almost all of her other stalker friends had managed to snag pics with him over the years, she had somehow missed him at countless events and was beginning to think the guy didn’t exist.  So to make sure that this would not turn out to be yet another failed opportunity, she knitted George a scarf and wrote him a card, hoping that he would take pity on us and, in turn, pose for a couple of photos.

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The interview got started right on time and when George Clooney walked onto the stage, I am pretty sure my mouth fell open about a foot . . . and I might have even drooled a little.  In person, without the aid of professional make-up, lighting, and Photoshop, the guy still looked movie-star-perfect!  Like WOW!

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Unfortunately, the moderator for the event, who shall remain nameless, was beyond-words horrible!  How he managed to make an interview with George Clooney and Alexander Payne boring is absolutely beyond me, but he did!  About thirty minutes into it, I turned to Pinky and said, “I would rather stab a pen through my eye than have to sit here and listen to this guy any longer!”  Winking smile I swear, if Joel McHale and The Soup writers got hold of the video of the event, they would have a field day!  At one point, when an audience member asked George and Alexander what movies had inspired them over the years, the moderator opted to also give an answer himself.  Like, really??  I don’t think anyone was asking you!  And while Alexander seemed annoyed with the guy (and rightfully so!), George (gotta love him!) was repeatedly trying to help him out.  He continually attempted to lead the conversation in a much more interesting direction and gave beautifully-crafted answers to the many inanely-crafted questions.  All I could think while watching him was, George Clooney is not just nice, he’s kind.  I honestly do not think I would have been nearly as gracious in the same situation.

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George was also EXTREMELY funny, witty, and quick to laugh, as you can see above.  I can only imagine how dreadfully boring the whole interview would have been had he not been carrying it.

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George also seemed incredibly down-to-earth.  When the moderator opened up the interview to questions from the audience at the end of the evening and then realized there were no microphones set up in the auditorium, George immediately jumped out of his chair to help find one.  Um, LOVE IT!  And the tipping point for me was when a much older, slightly clueless, gentleman got up to ask a question, during which he told George that he had once submitted a script to George’s uncle, movie director Jose Ferrer, and that, in response, Jose had written him the kindest rejection letter he had ever received.  He happened to have the letter with him and George immediately jumped off of the stage to accept it, then gave the guy a hug, and posed for a photograph with him for the press in attendance.  The gentleman, who by that time was no longer near the audience microphone, then asked George if he wouldn’t mind moving a bit closer to him so that he could use the microphone affixed to George’s lapel to continue to tell his story (not kidding!), which went on . . . and on . . . and on.  The whole thing was absolutely unbelievable, but George, once again, was beyond kind about it and never rushed the man or acted in any way uninterested in hearing what he had to say.

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As soon as the interview was over, Pinky ran up to the stage and called George over to give him the scarf and card she had made.  George honestly could NOT have been nicer, thanked her, and happily agreed to pose for a pic . . .

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. . . which turned out ADORABLE!  <3

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Then I asked for a pic and George, once again, happily obliged.  Pinky often says about the friendlier stars she has met over the years, “That celeb was so nice, he/she would have braided my hair if I had I asked!”  Well, I am very happy to report that George Clooney was braid-your-hair nice.  Smile

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Alexander Payne was also incredibly nice and down-to-earth and actually kneeled down on the stage next to me so that my picture with him would come out better.  LOVE IT!

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Pinky and I took the above photo as we were walking to our car after the interview, squealing like little schoolgirls the entire way!  She captioned the pic on Facebook, “This is our ‘We just met George Clooney’ face!”  Smile

Watch live streaming video from nytimes at livestream.com

You can watch a video of the entire “TimesTalks in LA” interview with George Clooney and Alexander Payne by clicking above.

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Upon leaving the event, Pinky, ever the stalker, decided to search the WireImage website to see which stars were in attendance at the This Means War premiere that was taking place over in Hollywood that same night.  And she just about flipped when she saw that Kristin Cavallari was there, because it just so happens that KCav is my unicorn!  I absolutely LOVE the reality star and have not only missed her at several appearances, but when I did end up meeting her a few years back, the Grim Cheaper had a massive fail with our photo op.  So Pinky and I immediately headed right on over to Hollywood to try to catch my unicorn!  And while we didn’t end up seeing Kristin, we did get some pics with some other celebs including Holly Marie Combs (don’t we look like besties in the above photo?  Smile);

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Perrey Reeves, aka Mrs. Ari on Entourage;

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Melanie Lynskey – aka Rose, Charlie’s stalker on Two and a Half Men;

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Ashley Jones, from The Bold and the Beautiful and True Blood;

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and Francois Arnaud from The Borgias.  All in all it was a FABULOUS night that I am still on a complete and total high from over 24 hours later!  You can read Miss Pinky Lovejoy’s write-up of the evening on her blog here.

Big THANK YOU to Pinky Lovejoy, of the Thinking Pink blog, for inviting me to this event and for turning me into a huge George Clooney fan in the process!  Smile

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: Unfortunately, there is no stalking location for this one, but you can catch The Descendants in theatres now.

The Landmark Screening of “The Way”

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Last Wednesday evening, shortly before a ginormous wind storm took hold of Los Angeles, celebrity aficionado Pinky Lovejoy, of the Thinking Pink blog, and fellow stalker CB, of the Mike the Fanboy website, invited me to be their plus-one at a screening of the new movie The Way, which was to be followed by a question and answer session with the film’s director Emilio Estevez, star Martin Sheen, and producer David Alexanian.  Because the event was taking place at the Landmark Theatre located all the way out in Westwood, though, and because The Way has a run-time of 115 minutes, and because this stalker is not a big fan of “films” – I much prefer “movies” to the typically pretentious art house fare usually found at indy theatres – I was not especially looking forward to attending.  But I absolutely love me some Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez, so I decided that I would just have to bite the bullet and that is how I found myself heading out to the Westside last Wednesday night, just as 85-mile-per-hour winds were beginning to blow.

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The Way, which you can watch a preview of by clicking above, turned out to be, by no stretch of the imagination, one of the best movies I have ever seen in my entire life!  I honestly cannot say enough good things about it and was actually very hesitant to write this post as I knew it would take me quite a bit of time to put into words all of the fabulous things that I wanted to express.  The film, which was written and directed by Emilio Estevez, is nothing short of phenomenal in so many ways – it features a completely unique and riveting story, a wonderful script, fabulously rich characters, incredible scenery, remarkable performances, and a touching and profound sentiment.  I do not want to say a lot about The Way as I feel it should be viewed without much prior knowledge, but at its core is the story of El Camino de Santiago, a real-life 500-mile route through France and Spain that pilgrims, or “peregrinos” as they are officially called, walk (yes, walk!) on their way to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, where the remains of Saint James are believed to have been buried.  The journey, which is just as much spiritual as it is physical, lasts about eight weeks with peregrinos walking about twelve to fifteen miles per day.  At night, the travelers stay at refugios, small inns or hostels, where they are provided with a homemade meal and a bed.  The refugios are just as much a part of the journey as the walk itself, as pilgrims break bread with the refugio owners and their fellow travelers, creating new friendships and learning local customs along the way.  I find it unbelievable that prior to watching the film, I had never heard even a mention of El Camino de Santiago.  I am now absolutely fascinated by it, as I am sure all those are who have seen The Way.   If you have yet to see the movie, I cannot more highly recommend doing so.  It is an uplifting adventure and historically-rich journey that you will not be sorry you took.

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Immediately following the screening, Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez, and David Alexanian walked to the front of the theatre and the Q&A session began.  And I have to say that it was almost as fascinating as the movie itself.  Martin talked about how in 2003 he had been approached by his then 19-year-old grandson, Taylor Estevez (Emilio’s son), to walk the Camino.  Because Martin was filming The West Wing at the time, he did not have enough weeks off to walk the entire 500-miles, so Martin’s wife suggested that the two rent a car and drive along the Camino route.  That way they could see how difficult of a trek it would actually be and prepare themselves for walking it someday in the future.  And that is exactly what Martin and Taylor did.  (Can I just say here how adorable it is that Taylor asked his grandfather to go on this journey with him?  LOVE IT!  Reminds me of the relationship I have with my grandma.)  Things did not exactly go according to plan, though, as one night during their journey, while dining at a refugio, Taylor and the refugio owner’s daughter locked eyes and, as Martin said in the Q&A, “they’re still looking at each other”.  Taylor ended up staying in Spain and marrying the refugio owner’s daughter and they are still together to this day.  Their love story and the experiences Taylor and Martin shared on their Camino journey inspired Martin to ask Emilio to write a screenplay about it.  The father/son duo, who live next door to each other, collaborated on the story and The Way is the result of their efforts.

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The Way was shot entirely on location along El Camino de Santiago (in chronological order, mind you), with the crew using only the camera equipment and supplies that they could carry on their backs, which makes the behind-the-scenes story almost as amazing as the actual movie.  So basically, while filming a movie about El Camino, the crew was actually taking the journey themselves.  So incredibly cool!

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Martin and Emilio honestly could not have been funnier, warmer, or more engaging during the Q&A and I love both of them even more now than I did before.

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After the Q&A, CB, Pinky, and I went up to Martin, who was EXTREMELY friendly and more than happy to pose for a pic with us.  I was actually an extra in an episode of The West Wing about eleven years ago and had the pleasure of watching Martin perform firsthand.  The man is a phenomenon and I will never forget coming home that night and saying to my mom, “I learned more about acting in one day of observing Martin Sheen than I did in four years of college as a theatre major!”  My mom was not too pleased to hear that, being that she footed my college tuition, but it was absolutely true.  The scene I was an extra in involved Martin’s character, President Jed Bartlet, giving a speech to his daughter’s college.  The speech was LONG – at least five minutes of continuous dialogue – and Martin knew that thing backwards and forwards.  The filming took over 14 hours (not kidding!) during which Martin had to repeat the monologue over and over and over again and, let me tell you, the guy never faltered or forgot one single word!  And he had just as much energy during Take 1 as he did during Take 103.  It was incredible to witness.  Even more incredible was the fact that every time the director yelled “Cut!”, Martin would seamlessly shed his Jed Barlet persona to address all of the extras, regaling us with stories of his life and acting career.  Once the director would yell “Action!”, Martin would once again transform into his character and continue on with his speech without missing a beat.  I am still awed by it to this day!

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Emilio Estevez also could not have been nicer or more friendly and I have to say that it was pretty incredible getting to tell Gordon Bombay himself that The Mighty Ducks was one of my very favorite movies.  Smile

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After the show, Pinky, who I swear could spot a celebrity while blind-folded in a snow storm, saw actor Ed Lauter, who played Colonel Glenn in fave movie Girls Just Want to Have Fun.  We, of course, asked Ed for a picture and he happily obliged.  Yay!  All in all, it was a fabulous night and I am SO incredibly glad that I went!

You can read CB’s write-up of the event and see some videos he took of the Q&A session on the Mike the Fanboy website here.

Big THANK YOU to Pinky Lovejoy, from the Thinking Pink blog, and CB, of the Mike the Fanboy website, for inviting me to this event.

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: There is no stalking location for this one, but you can catch The Way in theatres now and you can visit the movie’s official website here.