People met/seen so far: Dustin Hoffman, Steven Seagal, Teri Hatcher, Dean Cain, Eric McCormack, Richard Simmons and Chevy Chase.
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 1994 16:15:20 -0800
From: Perri [ksmith@SCF.USC.EDU]
Subject: Oh. My. God.
Guess what Perri and Diane did today.
First, we met Paul Hulse. (great guy, thank you Paul!)
Second, we met Steven Seagal and saw Dustin Hoffman.
Third, we discovered that Lois' Jeep is, indeed, silver.
Fourth, we went to the sets of the Planet and Lois and Clark's apartments.
Fifth, (hang on now) - WE MET TERI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[collective screams][assorted moans, groans, curses, "You lucky SOB's"] inserted here.
That's right FOLC's, we were running around the Warner Movie lot, went by Teri's trailor and spotted Teri walking down the street right by us. The tour guide spotted her for us, and both of us FLIPPED! Calmly and in a sophisticated manner, of course.
We started calling "Teri!" to get her attention and thought she was going to keep going. But Diane said "We're Fans of Lois and Clark, from the computer!" She turned right around, came back and started talking to us! It was amazing!
Diane here. Anyhow, the first thing she started talking about was how she's planning to get online for Christmas, and was really flattered to get the flowers and card. She obviously was well aware of who we were (Perri was wearing her t-shirt, though incredibly idiotic Diane left her sweatshirt at Harvard) and was very thankful. She said that Paul does indeed print out the list material, though she said she hasn't seen the stuff from Season's Greedings. We told her how much we loved the ending, and I mentioned that not everyone got the sound at the end, and were really confused as to why Dean looked up. And guess what? The black dress she wore to dinner? It's PURPLE! No kidding . . .she said she liked it enough to wear it out with her hubby.
Perri's back. Odette, she specifiacally asked us to tell you about the dress, and talked about all of the wardrobe problems -- apparently, it's driving her and wardrobe people crazy as well! She also said thank you for the joke about the rocky road -- she was laughing! You're famous! She was on her way to get her hair done for her next scene - and was already in makeup, wearing some kind of grey sweatshirt/sweater. She looked awesome, but she said she was sort of glad DIANE (Diane-- I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!!!) ran out of film, so we couldn't take a picture. She talked to us like we were friends, even said how sad she was that two of her favorite birds had died the night before. Lovebirds (isn't that sweet, insert collective AWWWW here) and she'd been crying. We were glad she talked to us anyway, she had a good excuse not to. It was also her husband's birthday today.
That's about all the details we can remember about her -- suffice it to say that she is really a nice person and very cool to talk to. She was tired and bummed, but was still totally cool, and totaly beautiful, we might add. Disgusting, really. :) ANd Diane and I were very wee- befaved! We didn't go fan once -- even told her our names so she'll know us when she gets list stuff.
O.K., we'll get right to work on a play-by-play of the day, but we had to get this posted fast! More to come, so stay tuned . . . . . .
O.K., here we go, the play-by-play of Perri and Diane's Trip to Heaven.
First, Perri's alarm didn't go off, so she woke up fifteen minutes before Diane was supposed
to get there, and still didn't have her makeup done. Diane hit terrible traffic, as well, but luckily had planned on such a contingency. After
wondering for a couple of minutes why Perri wasn't waiting out in front like she had said,
(Perri - I'M SORRY) she walked up to an apartment complex straight out of Melrose Place ..
. . complete with a pool in the middle . . . and rang the bell. Perri, laughing about her
tardiness, buzzed Diane in and she soon entered a room with walls covered with posters . . .
X-Men, Total Recall, Much Ado About Nothing, and of course, L&C. Perri looked fine, btw
. . . but she said she wasnted to be ready if we were headed anywhere there was the slightest
chance Dean might be.
Perri was just taking sensible precautions . . . After a long, drawn out getting ready process,
we finally got on the road and made it to the Warner Studios exactly on time and without
getting lost (Perri almost went through the window when they drove past the studio and saw
the Fifty-foot Lois and Clark poster on one wall of the studio! Awesome, the shot where
she's pulling open his shirt and the uniform is underneath!)
We made it into the tour office and the guides were totally cool, especially after they learned
that we were hard-core Lois and Clark fans. They told us that the show really needs the
support and encouraging us to stay loud about that. They commented that it had developed a
real cult following -- we just looked at each other, grinned, and said, "That's us!"
They were also telling us that Michael Landes left because his agent priced him out of the
show -- it wasn't his fault, or the producers, just his a****** agent. Bummer, no?
There was only one other person who showed up for the tour, so we got to have a really
small group. They showed us a clip of the best scenes from the WB movies (movies only)
including a clip from one of the Superman movies. Diane was diappointed, because the only
cartoons they showed were old Bugs Bunny stuf - we would have liked to have seen
Animaniacs and Batman, not to mention that weird live-action cartoon, um, Lois and Clark?
Anyway, with such a small group, we basically got to go everywhere. The tour guide loved
us -- we were telling her things about the studio and shows, especially Lois and Clark. We
saw the Walton set, and the pond where they used to do Fantasy Island (and where Perri
thinks they did GGGoH)
Next we moved on the Western set, which Diane quickly recognized from Vatman (remember
the showdown between Clark and his colne, whre the tour tram drives by? That was us! ;) )
We took pictures in front of the bank, and enjoyed poking around the ole buildings. We went
by a lot of the houses and buildings they used for Sisters, next, and saw Boss Hogg's house
from Dukes of Hazzard! Perri and I both have great childhood memories about that show
(and Diane still has her My Heart Belongs To Bo nightshirt) (Perri still lusts after Luke!). :P
We went through their city sets then, where they film all of the city stuff. They're rebuilding
it for the new Batman movie now, painting everything really dark and gloomy. It was cool!
From there, we headed into some of the workshop and soudstages. Along the way, we
walked past the set of Dustin Hoffman's new movie, where everyone was running around in
the advanced stages of some hideous disease. Yuck, great makeup! Then, the tour guide
spotted none other than Dustin himself walking right in front of us! We taliked him until we
could get around front to see his face - Diane took a picture at point-blank range! He was
cool, just said hi and smiled at us - very laid-back, friendly guy!! And very short! He looks
totally different than he does in the movies. We also drove past where they are building the
Riddlers house for Batman Forever -- they said those scenes were the last ones they were
doing for the movie.
We also caught sight of the sign that hung over the Magic Shop from "Illusions of Grandeur."
The tour guide took us out to look at it and "Oh by the way . . . " led us back to the set of --
Clark's apartment!
It was . . . dirty! And dark. And small. But it was undoubtedly Clark's . . . completely with
athletic shoes and jeans in the closet (though the shoes were much too small to be Dean's).
There was food (but not junk food, we complained) in the cabinets, and cool African masks
and such on the walls. Diane took a picture of Perri in the doorway . . . we were cooing a
bit, of course, but Clark had no fridge to peak in. We did see a phone though (thoughts of
Ma and Pa Kent), and Perri saw his bad. Well, you all knew it was our dream to be taken
back to Clark's apartment . . . ;)
From there, we wound up in the shops where they store most of the props and evrything.
Perri and Diane were joking about, "We want to see a Space Rat." Perri almost had a heart
attack when she saw the orbs from Brisco County, then Diane did have a heart attack when
she saw -- a Super Atomic Space Rat! That's right, we got to hold one of the Space Rats and
took pictures with them. They didn't exactly look like fun toys! But they were still neat --
very heavy! The tour guide was getting a kick out of both of us being able to name
episodes for the props from Lois and Clark and Brisco County.
We went by a bunch of trailers after we left the prop factory, and were joking about seeing
Dustin -- when we went by the set of the sequel to Under Seige - and saw Steven Seagal
sitting outside his trailer. The tour guide stopped the bus and said we'd have to ask
permission to take his picture, so we did and he just drawled, "Sure." Nice voice! Then we
asked if we could take a picture with him and he stood up and said sure.
Diane here. Steven Seagal, is HUGE (as in really tall) for all you FOLCs' information. I was
really scared, but did manage to say "I love your movies . .. ." To which Perri added,
"Yeah, Die Hard." I nearly burst out laughing, but all Steven said was "Um, close."
Perri here. Before she completely maligns me (I would NEVER malign you Perri, just laugh
hysterically in your face -- Diane), he was totally cool about it! We both started laughing,
but I almost died trying to correct myself - and I couldn't! We'd just been talking about Fly
Hard and I blanked on the stupid name, all right! Sheesh. Anyway, we got the picture
taken and this is one FOLC he's going to remember! I liked him, I think he's gotten bad
press.
This post is entirely too long, we will continue in a minute.
Continued. . . . .
O.K., after our death drfying experience with Mr. Seagal (after Diane stopped laughing and
Perri stopped blushing (God he is sexy, people, no Dean, but no exatly hard on the eyes --
Perri)) we got another treat -- and wound up at the office of the Daily Planet -- the inside
set!
It's wonderful, guys . . .the details are great, and I'm not sure we'll even be able to remember
them all. I took a picture of Perri behind (who else?) Perry's desk, and she took a picture of
me behind Clark's. He has a great pic of Ma and Pa Kent on his desk, and we laughed
thinking of Lois on the desk during Pheromone, My Lovely. The elevators are cool ... as is
Jimmy's desk . . . and there are awards all over the place. In Perry's office, there are all sorts
of Elvis memorabilia, but the record on top of the record player is by Kitty Wells. The
awards were made out to Daily Planet, Lois Lane, Perry White, etc. . . really nice, needless to
say. We thought the most hilarious bit was the dead plant on Lois' desk. . . .with a note that
says "Lois, please water me." We also saw the conference room they use all the time,
especially in Fly Hard, and the video screen in Perry's office where they watch the tapes.
There were clocks on the wall, with the Metropolis clock set to three hours ahead of L.A. -
East Coast, all of you location-thread participants. BTW, Odette, the newsroom is a little
messier than they show on the show, but not much. The elevators were right behind the
desks, but the stairs were a lot shorter than I thought they would be. All in all, ocmpletely
awesome! I sat at Lois' desk! BTW, all the papers and stuff scattered over the desks are
invoices and such from the studio - apparently, they just grab papers wherever they can find
them. But there was a copy of the Daily Planet laying in Jimmy's in-tray.
We also got to drive past the outside of the Planet a few minutes later. It was right in the
middle of the set they use for all of Metropolis. The globe in front of the Planet is tiny! The
Daily Java, that little coffeeshop, is right next to the entrance -- Paul said that's the same shop
they used for the toy shop in Season's Greedings! There was the bank that Bonnie and Clyde
robbed, and a bunch of other buildings we recognized! We also saw the Coateds Orphanage!
Then, we went past some more L&C stuff. We spotted Teri's trailer, (for the second time,
we'd gone over to inspect it earlier). It's all decorated with bows and Christmas stuff, and
there's a Superman shield hanging in her window, above a cute teddy bear. White, of course.
We were driving past it this time when - we spotted her! But we've already gushed about
that. If you missed it, we'll send it out again! Just to sum up, it was great to see Teri. She
was wonderful in person, very human and very nice to stop and talk to us. If you're reading,
thanks, Teri!
After we left Teri, we got out of earshot, then started screaming! We looked at each other
and said, in unison "Tad's gonna kill us!" The tour guide said we were really lucky! No
other tour group has ever run into Teri.
Next stop was Lois' apartment, which was much bigger and nicer than Clark's. We got to see
the fish, and .. . . . THE KERTH AWARDS! Diane was complaining that they were out in a
regualar display case, instead of behind the back wall the way we know they are, but hey, at
least we got to see them. Ok, trivia time here . . . .Lois' Kerth Awards are for. . .
1991: The Gulf War - On the Front Lines
And of course, we all know 1994 went to Clark Kent for some nursing home scandal. Lois'
refrigerator has all sorts of notes posted on it- including. . ."Call Clark 555-3014." It was
great . . .her freezer had two tubs of Pralines and Caramel ice cream, much to our dismay, but
she did have chocolate milk in the refrigerator. And then. . . we stood in the window, and
opened it! It was wonderful . . .I expected Superman to come flying in out of the sound
stage. We were standing right where they had the table set up and we were playing around
with the door, which had four locks and a chain! Apartment number 506. BTW - whe's on
the fifth floor.
Behind one of the walls, ironically enough, they had two of the statues from Lex's balcony . .
.giant winged figures, pretty daunting. Guess Lois got at least something from the will. ;)
From there, we went to the motor pool, where they store all of the vehicles from the shows
and the movies. We were talking about whether they had the Jeep in there -- the tour guide
said she didn't think so, but we walked in and there it was!!! Silver, BTW, which ends that
debate. The plates were California plates, but the tour guide says they have special
Metropolis ones, they just take them off or people steal them. They also had two Metropolis
police cars, and a taxi. . . . perhaps the one Clark inhales? ;)
There was also the RV from hell from Tango and Cash, and we got to see the batmobiles
through a fence. Perri almost died when she realized that Ford Charger under the covering
was -- the Gerneral Lee! Numbers, faded orange paint and all! Die, die . . . .
And after that, we headed out. We kept having "Ohmigod" flashbacks for the rest of the
drive home, but overall, we were pretty calm about it, all things considered. It was an
amazing day! The people we spoke to said to contact them if we want to try to get onto the
set for real -- because they need the fan goodwill. Perri is going to call and check it out
Monday -- any other LA FOLCs up for Monday, Jan 9, before Diane heads back to school?
O.K., that's enough. Any Questions? See us on IRC on Sunday!
Perri
Another one of the most amazing things that has ever happened to me was *running* into Dean
Cain. I was down in Florida. I was reading a pamphlet and all of a sudden I walk into
somebody!! I was ready to look up, blush, say I was sorry and move on. But, as I looked up I
realized my roadblock was none other than DEAN CAIN!! I squeaked (literally. I went
"Squeak!"), and blushed really, really badly (I could feel my face redden). He smiled and asked
me if I was OK. I said "uh-huh" very softly, in shock. Still smiling, he said "sorry for bumping
into you!" and walked away. Getting some self control, I called after him "I adore your show!!".
He turned back and grinned, giving me the 'thumbs-up' sign. Later I found out he was filming
an American Gladiators type show in Florida. Sigh, I wish I hadn't made an idiot of myself. :-)
I was visiting the Warner Brothers lot and just kind of
wandered
over to the L&C set. It was at night and the crew was set up to
shoot in
the park (It's a set with bushes, grass, and a few benches). Not
much was
happening so I left and went to the bathroom. When I returned to
the set
I saw someone from behind and I assumed that the guy was Dean's
stand-in.
When he turned around...I saw that it was really Dean. My jaw
dropped.
Dean kind of took directions and went through the
rehearsals. In
BGDF it is the scene where CK is alone in the park, sitting on a
bench,
and then hears the voice of Tez. While the crew adjusted the set
between
takes, Dean mingled with the crew and made small talk. They all
seemed to
like him. His mannerisms are kind of the same both on and off
camera -
i.e. hands in his pockets, his stance, the movement of his hands
when he
talks. My two friends and I had hoped that he might mingle over
to where
we were standing but he didn't. When called, he went back in
front of the
camera. When a final tape was made, he got in a van that headed
back to
his trailer. As the van passed by me and my two friends he
smiled and
waved at us.
We left the set for about 15 minutes and when we returned,
Dean
was no longer dressed as CK but as Superman. He was sitting in
one of
those folding director's chairs. We decided to stay out of the
way of the
crew and sat a few feet behind him on the steps of the
Courthouse. We
didn't want to risk doing anything that might get us thrown off
the set.
I was shy and would never have approached him. But my two
friends went up
to him so I tagged along.
He shook all of our hands and we introduced ourselves. He
was
warm and friendly. One of my friends talked to him about
Princeton (she
goes to UCLA) and made other chit-chat. I was nervous and
couldn't really
get much out. He graciously signed autographs for all three of
us when we
asked him and then he had to get back in front of the camera.
He began shooting the first showdown between Superman and
Tez (In
BGDF it's at night in the park). To shoot the fight scene took
quite a
bit of time. In between takes, Dean would look at us still
sitting on the
Courthouse steps and smile. He said to us, "Shouldn't you guys
be doing
something fun on Friday night?" We responded in unison, "This is
fun!"
We also saw him take off the top of his Superman costume a few
times when
the set was being dressed or he was heading back to his trailer.
He would
take off the top portion and cape, letting it hang around his
waist, and
then throw a sweatshirt over his bare chest. We were completely
drooling
:) There are no pads in the suit by the way. It's all him.
When the shooting was completed the crew began to pack up
everything. We approached Dean one last time. We asked him for
pictures
and he said, "OK - but it will have to be fast because they need
me to do
more shots indoors". One of my friends after posing for her
picture with
Dean asked him for a hug. He said, "Sure". So we each posed
individually
with Dean for a photo and then gave him a hug. For the picture,
I put my
arm around his waist and he put his arm around my shoulder. He
smelled
incredible. Then for the hug, I put my left arm around his waist
and my
right arm around his shoulder. After that he really had to go.
We said
good-bye and waved to him and he did the same to us.
Cadet Lynelle N. White, x4311
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1998 20:53:30 -0600
Here is THE TRIP according to Lisa2. Events that cannot be recalled have
On Sunday UnBob and I flew Southwest Airlines ( Blah ) to Burbank. I
The instant we walk through the door Judy called and wanted to get
Later I met my LD writing idol - Roberta! All I could think of was how I
Monday we did a little sightseeing. UnBob behind the wheel and I with my
Back in car we headed to Beverly Hills. I told UnBob to stop so we could
We cruise Rodeo Drive, etc. and then go on to our next stop. 20 mins.
Years ago when my mum came to this country someone took her on a tour of
Jude and I had a big time. We 'visited' with Bette Davis, Liberace, Andy
That evening we met Roxy, hubbish Curt and a new pal Vicki. Vicki works
And how about a rousing applause for Roxy and Curt! They drove to LA
The next day is Tuesday - D Day! Vicki gave us passes to the back lot
Lisa F arrived in the afternoon from San Diego. As was his custom UnBob
Vicki the goddess secured reserved seats for us to the show. Judy and I
I am leaving the show to a more unbiased and talented author, Lisa F.
After the show we met up with another LDer - Karen Johnston. Karen drove
Now to the part you have been waiting for ! Lisa & Eric. LisaF gets all
After Lisa spoke with Eric's lovely wife, Eric came to stand below us on
Eric stood right next to me - me Lisa2! The Mosby Wanna Be Harem Girl!
I have quite a few friends that love Mosby - and are not as fond of Eric
A funny part of our meeting was when Eric shook hands with the group. To
After THE MEETING Roxy and Curt headed back to get ready for their long
UnBob and Roberta headed back to the hotel. Hmm, they spent a lot of
Cathleen also headed home - it was late so we won't exhile her to the
The rest of us went to a Mexican bar/resturant ( name - my brain was
We huddle and discuss our options. LisaF being thoughtful does not want
Eric went outside for a bit and returned to his table. This gave Jude
For one I can tell you that I would of course enjoyed seeing Eric in W &
Date: March 30, 1999
I was in New York visiting my relatives during Passover and the Tuesday night
that we were there, my dad and I went to see The Scarlet Pimpernel (starring Bryan Batt, whom I love from the movie, Jeffrey). During the intermission, I went into the lobby to stretch my legs, and when I came back, my dad said to me, "Do you know who Richard Simmons is?" I said no at first, and then I remembered that I did know, and it turned out that he was about six or seven rows in front of us in the middle section of seats of the show, whereas we were on the side. A few people were standing around staring at him, and one brave fan had been talking to him.
Date: April 3, 1999
On the last day that we were in New York, my family went out to Balthazar's, a fancy French restaurant in SoHo. While we were waiting to order, my mom pointed out to me a man who was directly in my line of sight and only two tables away. A man, I might add, who happened to be Chevy Chase! He appeared to be with his family, and I noticed that when his food came, he enjoyed it very much, starting eating right away and everything. ;) One of the couples at the table next to him started talking to him right as he was leaving (the rest of his family had already gotten up and left the restaurant), and he gave them an autograph, and then he left.
From: Paula Zack <pxzntv@rit.edu>
Well, it's my turn to be one of those people to report on my Teri Hatcher
sighting. I guess you could say I saw her up close and personal. I attended
Cabaret in Chicago on 7/13/99. I never thought I'd catch myself awaiting her
passage through the stage door after the show, that's where I found myself.
As they say about Mr. Cain, she is as beautiful (if not more so) in person than on
cam. I travelled rather specifically to see her and meeting her was the icing on
the cake. I shook her hand and spoke to her (if that's what you could call my
awkward commendation of her performance). I realize to ask someone to chat with a
complete stranger after a hard day's work is a bit much but she was polite enough
to oblige. I did not wish to be impolite so I respectfully asked for a picture
with her. Imagine my suprise/disappointment when she said "I'm not really doing
pictures but I'll sign something for you". Ms. Hatcher seemed to be of the
opinion that she was not at her most photogenic. Well she looked as if she'd just
shot a layout for Glamour but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I'd kill (but
not give up my Clark bars) to look like her. For those who may ask, she was
wearing a white blouse and I believe brown pants.She is a slender woman, and as
her costumes confirmed, not an OUNCE of fat on her. Ms. Hatcher said she got the
gifts some of us FOLCS sent to her daughter and she appreciated them. I asked her
why she liked the role of "Sally Bowles" and she said she was intrigued by the
character. I guess I'm in the minority as to not being enamoured with the music
and script of Cabaret. It semed an average story about rampant promiscuity in
Germanay just before Hitler's rise to power and how man turned a blind eye to
what Hitler was really up to. It had important Don't get me wrong, Ms. Hatcher was
pefect in my humble biased opinion but had she not been in it, I never would have
given it a thought. I had a very enjoyable time..
After a brief but polite visit with Ms. Hatcher, she hopped in to her Black (not
Silver) Jeep Cherokee with a fellow male castmate in tow.
So now when I tell my friends at home about my encounter, I'll start off by
saying, "picture if you will" because I have none. But, I have an autographed
Playbill and a very fond memory.
From: Carrie K <hungariangirl18 at hotmail dot com>
I have met Dean several times, because my uncle has a show in the same
studio as Ripleys. What can I say, everytime I enter the building I get a
hug from Dean, I've held his son, have had dinner with him and we always
joke about some stuff he has in his studio. He, my uncle and I do charity
events, like kids with cancer or AIDS. He is exceptionally nice. He always
hugs me a million times and he is the hottest person you will ever meet,
anyone got any questions email me.
From: Sheila H.
Well, FoLCs, I made it back from Utah and thought I'd let you guys know what happened. I got to see movie both times it played, and I also got to talk to Dean afterwards both times. I'll post my sightings here and my review of the movie separately.
The first night was the premiere, and I was in the wait line in a hallway in the basement of the Eccles Theater for over four hours before someone sold me their ticket. I went upstairs where hundreds of people were packed into the lobby like sardines. I was fairly close to the theater doors but clear across the room from the front doors, so I couldn't see anyone entering. However, while I was there, I saw Tim Olyphant (who had the lead role), and when the crowd shifted occasionally, I could see him talking with people while camera flashes went off. I didn't see him doing the "arm over the shoulder, sideways hug" (tm) type pictures that Dean does, however.
When we got into the theater (and now I know how a lemming feels!), I took a seat in the first row of seats behind the reserved section. BTW, the Eccles is huge (in my admittedly limited experience) and seats 1300. Once everyone arrived, I didn't see any empty seats, so it was either a full house or very close to it.
A friend and her husband joined me, and we spent the next few minutes rubbernecking the two side aisles, looking for Dean. When I first saw him, he was walking down the right-hand aisle with his business partner (Mike Carr) walking backwards down the aisle in front of him. Mike was videotaping Dean, which I thought was weird, but since I've read the info on the TCC boards about Dean being involved in the Sundance diaries things, it made more sense. Anyway, Dean, who was in a light-gray turtleneck sweater and jeans, was accompanied by his mom (Sharon Thomas) and his sister (Krissinda Cain), and a short, ordinary-looking brown-haired woman (who I found out the next day was his publicist). Actually, I only realized that she was with him (she was trailing behind his sister) when he was talking to someone about seats and did a pointing a finger headcount that included her.
My friend had a couple of pictures from St. Louis to give him, so she got up and went to talk to him (five rows and a cross-aisle in front of me, and about three seats to the right . I stayed in my seat and took pictures (of them, of his mom and sis--both of whom had an annoying habit of turning away just as I pressed the button :-P ), but my friend mentioned that I was with her and that I had been taking the video at St. Louis, so Dean turned to look at me and smiled and waved. I took pictures of that, too, but missed the hug he gave her before she left (because a woman in a red sweater chose that moment to stand in my line-of-sight). So my friend got to meet him before the show while I stayed in my seat.
Prior to the screening, Greg Berlanti, the writer-director of "The Broken Hearts Club," came on-stage and talked a little about the film, about shooting it (a twenty-day shooting schedule, which meant that they were going through pages at nearly the rate of a TV show--six or seven pages a day instead of a film's normal two or three). He introduced lots of people involved in the film, and I could see that Dean had the camcorder and was taping each person as they were introduced. When Greg introduced the principal cast, he did so one-by-one and had them stand up for applause. Dean held his little camcorder at chest level, the red taping light on as he turned to face the audience. A couple of the other actors did so, too.
I'll talk about the movie in a separate post, but I *will* mention the kiss. It was a medium shot (knees to head) rather than a close-up, and I'm afraid I was laughing too hard to hear whether Cole was moaning or not. The kiss was shot at a complete 180 behind Dean, so all the audience could see was the back of his head and one of Andrew Keegan's eyes. No face, no mouth-contact, just the back of one black-haired head. Why was I laughing? Dennis (Olyphant's character) had gone to find Cole (Dean's character) to tell him it was his turn at bat in the softball game, and Cole held up one finger in a silent "just a minute" while he kept kissing Kevin (Keegan's character). He finally broke away breathlessly to ask, "What'd ya want?" which was so completely Cole and very funny in the context of the story. Anyway, that was the on-screen kiss.
After the movie, Greg came on-stage again and called all of the principal cast up to join him, so we got to look at Dean for the next ten minutes while audience members asked questions. Greg answered all of the questions except one: someone asked, "Did you use body doubles for the kissing scenes?" and Greg passed that to Tim O., who had a *lot* of kissing scenes (and his were closeups or at least side views). Tim came up to the mike and said, "The budget didn't cover it," which broke up the audience as he returned to his place in line. Someone also asked what Greg had done to elicit that tremendous on-screen sense of camaraderie between the six guys, and he said that it was because they were really good actors who took what he wrote and made it sing. He also said that they went out together a couple of times--to gay clubs--and that he required everyone to hug and kiss when they arrived and before they left each day--so they'd get physically comfortable with each other because the characters did a lot of hugging on-screen.
As a side note, Greg Berlanti is beautiful--as good-looking as Dean. The other actors were less physically attractive in person than they were on-screen--except Dean, who looks better up close, without makeup, than he does on-screen. I could have passed any of the others in a crowd and never noticed them, but Dean draws eyes like a magnet. However, that's my obviously prejudiced view
After the Q&A, people started leaving through the side doors. I hung back, trying to work my way down to where Dean was giving autographs and taking pix, but one of the guys with the headsets told me I was blocking traffic and to go on outside, which I did. I waited outside, next to the doors, as the other cast members left, but Dean hadn't appeared yet, so I poked my head inside. He was still at the foot of the stairs, signing away and smiling for cameras. I stepped back to wait, but when another headset guy started closing the side doors, I slipped back into the theater and went down to wait in line for him. My friend followed me, and we waited while he finished talking and taking pix with some teenaged (? college-aged?) girls. One of the headset gals took a picture of another one with him; then it was my turn.
I wasn't as rolled up and bowled over as I was in St. Louis, but I really hate the fact that my brain (or at least my memory) stops functioning in Dean's presence. I think I said, "Hi, Dean." I don't remember if we asked for a picture or not, but since my friend and I were both holding cameras, it may not have been necessary. I was facing Dean from about two feet away; he was wearing his purple-and-black ski jacket, and I was in my bulky winter coat. (BTW, his hair is pretty short now, only about an inch or inch-and-a-half on top.) The next thing I remember is his left arm sliding over my right shoulder. Since I was facing him rather than facing my friend who had my camera, I mistook the gesture for a hug and moved in and hugged him back. (It was an honest mistake; *any*one would have made it ) I felt him hesitate for an instant; then his right arm slid around me and he hugged me and brushed a kiss across my cheek. I caught a glimpse of a flash, so that hug may have been immortalized. I'll find out when I get the film developed. Anyway, I think I apologized. In any case, he left his left arm across my shoulder and I can't remember clearly exactly how we posed for the pic. Did we lean together? Did he give me a sideways hug (tm)? I just remember smiling for the camera, the flash, and then my friend and I were trading places and I was taking a picture of her with Dean.
After the picture bit, I recalled that my friend had said she had told Dean earlier that she wasn't too sure about the subject matter of the movie. So I told him that I had expected a lot of things, but I hadn't expected to be ROTFL within the first five minutes of the movie. He laughed, and (sorry, guys) I absolutely can't remember what he said in response. Something about it being more than just a gay film or having a wide appeal or being a good comedy or *some*thing. Next time, I'm going to have to have a tape recorder in my pocket. That's just all there is to it. Anyway, he said his family was waiting, so I didn't pull out my Dean with Bosko pic for an autograph. Instead, my friend and I said bye and thank-you and went back up the aisle to the side doors and left. And so ended "Dean at Sundance, Day 1."
Saturday afternoon, after a much shorter--and colder--wait in the outdoors wait line at the Egyptian Theater, I was seated on the aisle down front, and I didn't see *any* of the cast during the screening. Greg Berlanti introduced it, but his intro was much shorter, and he didn't introduce any cast members before the movie. I still enjoyed the movie the second time around, even when Dean wasn't on-screen--it was just that funny!
Greg went on-stage for the Q&A session afterwards, and he called up his exec producer and the principal cast, and Dean came down the aisle on the opposite side of the building from me. He was wearing a navy-blue crew-neck sweater with the sleeves pushed up on his forearms, stone-washed jeans, and black shoes. Greg answered pretty much the same kind of questions as the previous night--until someone again asked if the cast hung out together to develop that camaraderie. Dean jumped in with a response without waiting for the microphone (and he projected as well as the mike did). He said that when the writing was that good, it was easy to make the characters and relationships come alive. Tim Olyphant took the mike then and said basically the same thing--that viewers think that on-screen relationships *have* to come from off-screen ones, but that the real source is the quality of the writing. Greg then added the bit about all of them having gone to a couple of gay clubs together and that he required them to hug and kiss hello and goodbye each day.
When the Q&A was over, most of the other actors stayed alongside the aisle I was on, but I ignored them and slipped down to the stage where Dean was sitting on the side of the apron and listened to him talk to someone who was wearing a Sundance nametag. At that distance I could see that he hadn't shaved before coming to the screening, so if any of you have that big color pic of Dean with Bosko, shorten his hair and his stubble by about half in each case, and that's what he looked like. (I really don't need to use adjectives like "hot" or "gorgeous", do I? < g >) He was telling the other guy about Ripley's and mentioned that he'd be exec producing "Luna" for MTV. I butted in to ask, "Luna?" and he looked at me and repeated that he would be exec producing it through his Angry Dragon Entertainment. I said that he'd mentioned it in an interview during his Ripley's promo tour but that he hadn't said what show it was and that was why I asked. He also mentioned that Friday night was the first time he'd ever sat in an audience while other people were watching him on-screen. He put his fist over his heart and said something about his heart pounding, that it was a real rush, hearing the people react to his performance. I'm really bad with remembering the order of events--and worse with names, but I think it was about that time that Dean introduced the brown-haired girl as his publicist: Amy? Audrey? Andi?
After the other guy and his wife got a pic with him and left, I asked Dean how he felt about playing a "gorgeous, dumb guy." (You have to realize that I was thinking of the TV Guide interview during the first season when Teri said that she'd originally thought Dean was just a good-looking guy with nothing going on upstairs. He was so indignant that someone might think that about him, and I found it interesting that he was playing a role in which the character was that exact thing.) Anyway, he laughed and quoted the entire line I was referring to (which was a funny line, BTW--*and* spoken by a different character). When I looked surprised, he said that the script was so good that most of the cast could quote pretty much the whole thing. Then he said that he was confident enough of his masculinity to take a role like this and confident enough of his intelligence that he didn't have to play Joe Smart Guy every time. He also mentioned something about most people knowing a person like Cole. (I nodded, but people like that--who can move from one relationship to another in six innings--are characters in books and films to me, not real people, so I guess Dean definitely has a whole different experience than I have.) His publicist mentioned something about whatever he was supposed to attend next, so I thanked him and started up the aisle.
I stopped partway up to put on my coat and gather my stuff so I wouldn't drop it. Dean had put on his ski jacket, too, and was slowly drifting up the aisle. When he was about 10 feet from me, someone stopped him and asked for an autograph, and I decided that that was it. I took my Sharpie out of my pocket, put my Dean-with-Bosko pic on top of my notebook, and when he drew even with me, I held out the picture and asked him to sign it. He grinned and held it up to his publicist and explained that that was his dog. Then he turned to me (we were both in the aisle by then) and asked, as he had in St. Louis, "Just sign it?" This time I had enough sense to say, "Make it to Sheila"--and this time he didn't ask me how to spell it, *and* he got it right <g>. I told him that I'd had him sign my copy of VD in St. Louis because I liked his work as a writer, but I wanted a picture, too. He looked surprised and delighted and said that I'd be seeing more of his stuff (referring to his writing) soon, and I said I was glad because I really enjoyed his work. He thanked me, and then I followed him up the aisle to the lobby, where he got waylaid by more fans.
I went outside and waited with my friend, who hadn't wanted to watch the show again but had hung around outside to see Dean. She asked if I had asked him about the quilt, and I said no, so when he came out, she went over and asked him about it. I drifted over to them, stopping about seven or eight feet from him, and my friend said that it was on the couch in his office. I must have raised my eyebrows because Dean nodded and looked at me as he repeated what she had said. I smiled and backed away to the other side of the theater, where I took a couple of pix of him making his slow way down the street toward me. He kept being stopped every couple of steps to take a picture with someone. People were even stopping him when he started into the street. Finally his publicist grabbed his hand and pulled him across the street. They disappeared behind one of the many vans blocking traffic on the narrow, steep, icy street, and I didn't see where he went after that, so I went down my side of the street and got in my van and left. And that was Dean at Sundance, Day 2.
I'll post a synopsis and review of "The Broken Hearts Club" tomorrow.
I was one of the FoLCs who was lucky enough to meet Dean at St. Louis last July, and I was impressed then by his kindness to his fans and his real pleasure in interacting with them. Nothing in what I saw in Park City changed my mind. I won't presume to guess at his motives, but Dean not only understands how to make his fans feel welcome, but he also has a gift of putting people at their ease and taking away their fear that they're intruding. He is a genuinely nice guy, and I'm proud to be his fan.
1992: Inside Bush's Campaign Headquarters
1993: Sexual Harrasment in the Military
Diane [levitan@fas.harvard.edu] Who finally started shaking a half hour later.
[WhiteLN97.CS35.USAFA@usafa.af.mil]
From: Lisa <rmanseau@ix.netcom.com>
been replaced with those to match my fantasies. This has been edited for
family viewing.
couldn't sit still in my seat - the idea of the taping and meeting
friends had put ants in my pants. UnBob tried his best to ignore me - he
brought a book with him and was pretending to be engrossed in it - I
knew better and continued to jabber.
together. Like me she had ants in her pants. To meet someone you have
corresponded with and spoken with with for months is simply a great
event. We never stopped talking - except long enough to introduce her to
UnBob - The Chauffeur.
wish I had 1/10 her talent - ok I'd have to learn to write complete
sentences first. With her brain and my mouth I could take over the world!
hee hee sorry I digress.
trusty map! We did get lost once or twice but I blamed UnBob. We went to
Hollywood and checked out the Walk of Fame and G. Chinese Theater. I
didn't see Eric's name so I tried to scratch out someone named John
Wayne. Hey by the by, those Security dudes hustle pretty quick.
get a map of the star's homes - he said NO! NO? First time I heard that
one - and in front of Judy! I hope he has now got that bad word out of
his system!
later Judy says when are we going to Beverly Hills. I guess I flunked
the Tour Guide Test.
the famous LA Cemeteries - she thought it was tacky. What does she know
just because she had tea with the duchess of something she thinks she
can tell tacky! Needless to say UnBob and my mum think alike - they are
in cahoots against me ya know.
Gibb to name a few. I guess you had to be there to fully appreciate the
event.
for Universal Studios and is one of those people who can get anything or
at least she can point you in the direction of it. Damn handy. Best of
all she is a huge Eric fan and is the sweetest damn person next to me.
from CO to see Eric in Will & Grace. That is dedication - makes me glad
to be a Mosby fan ( tears welling up ). Can you imagine me and UnBob in
a car for like 20 hours! He needs a week of therapy after we drive to my
mum's - an 1 1/2 hr. away! We fight over the radio, I want to stop to
use the little girls room, oh look a great looking shop disguised as a
junk shack located 100 miles from nowhere. Get the picture.
of Universal. Jude and I knew a movie star was gonna walk by us at any
moment! Ok maybe they didn't know we were there - so we hunted them down!
Ok maybe they did know we were there and they were hiding. We sat in
the commissary for about 2 hours waiting for a star to sit next to us
and mistake us for Michele Phieffer and Pamela Anderson ( that being me).
Bob by the way was outside - with our luck gabbing with Harrison
Ford. After all that no movie stars - but I did see a very cute
construction worker.
greeted her as he pretended to nap. He just couldn't contain all his
excitement! We were then waiting for Cathleen. Roxy, Curt & Karen would
be meeting us at the studio. Cathleen arrived - another face to put to a
name - what a blast.
had to sit together so we could gush. We sat by UnBob too - he was our
chaperone. Every time I gushed too much he gave me one of those ' you
are being a pain' looks.
You'll be glad I did this.
down the day of the show - over 400 miles - another round of applause
please. Karen & I have been on the list for about the same time. It was
only a few weeks ago that I found out she lives 2 blocks from my house.
DODODODO - Twilight Zone music.
the credit for the LDers meeting Eric - Since I don't have children, I
am going to name my next pet after her. Perfect timing Lisa, I got 2
pond turtles yesterday!
the stage. Hee hee right below me - evil grin. With no entrance from the
stage to the balcony, our Eric showed his great athletic prowess and
climbed up to the balcony. Fearing he might fall, Judy and I grabbed an
arm each to aid him. Ok how many of you guessed that in reality he
needed no help what so ever but it was a great excuse for Jude and I to
touch him. For those of you who doubt my ability to simply help him and
not attack him, I want to reassure you I was on my best behavior - I
have witnesses. I think I was too stunned to tell you the truth.
His hands are so soft ! He is handsome yes. But he is so beautiful - and
not in a feminine way. His eyes - oh goodness the room is getting warm.
I better stop that. I must say though I thought he was a bit too skinny
for my taste.
in other roles. I thought I might be disappointed too - but fellow
devotees - you can see Mosby, trust me on this.
see Eric shake UnBob's hands just seemed so surreal! Bob hates Lonesome
Dove and is sick to death of hearing me compare him to Mosby
rather expecting UnBob to to say ' So you are the DSOB that is making my
life miserable!'. Instead he seemed just as thrilled as we were. Is
UnBob a convert now? Well ...
drive. Somehow, seeing how the taping was such a delight, I think I can
safely say it was worth the long hours through the desert.
time together during the trip. What do you have to say for yourself
Roberta! She claimed she had an early flight - ha!
Blossom List.
still numb ) that was kindly recommended to us by a W & G stage dude. He
said we might see some movie stars. I said to myself, ' Self, kinda like
all the stars they said we'd see at Universal'. But what the heck, I am
never one to pass up a drinkie. We park and I follow LisaF in, who then
does a 180 and looks like she has seen a ghost. I see what she sees -
it's ERIC with all the cast from W & G!
it to appear like we followed them. I look supportive and then say ' Who
Cares!'. Then I calm down and see her point. We don't want to ruin any
future meetings for others. We settle on a compromise - we crawl on our
bellies to a side table and look like we belong. We eat, drink and
carefully look over to Eric who has his back to us.
and I an idea. We went outside and had a cigarette ( note: smoking
causes cancer ). We figured if we stood out there he might come back.
Then it would look like a coincidence. He would want to chat with us for
hours, etc. After an hour we gave up. It was a viable plan though. Alas
our hero left and we girlies had to say our good-byes.
G even if I had gone by myself. This trip meant so much more because I
was honored to share it with some very special people. Everyone
contributed to this trip whether it was with their enthusiasm, favorite
Mosby eps, reserved seats to the show, an unexpected introduction to
Eric ( special smooch for LisaF ) or their kindness in putting up with
us ( UnBob).
klane@digital.net
klane@digital.net
Subject: Chicago: Picture if you will
Subject: My Meetings with Dean
Subject: Dean at Sundance
This version of my Meeting Famous People page was born on June 23, 2002
Last Update: August 5, 2003