Ask the Answer B!tch
She's here to help
Who Really Goes to Movie Premieres, Anyway?
Lester Cohen/Getty Images
Are premieres strictly invite-only, or can any celeb walk the red carpet? I have this vision of Heidi and Spencer getting turned away.
—Anabel
You mean what drove Courteney Cox to don her finest stringy denim jeans and pose next to a ballgown-clad Renée Zellweger at the Appaloosa premiere last month? Zellweger, we know, is in the movie. Plays the piano and everything. Cox? Not in the movie.
Marg Helgenberger also graced the premiere. She wasn't in the movie, either. But at least she wore a skirt.
Publicists for Helgenberger and Cox didn't return requests for comment, but really, we don't need them. I've learned almost any celebrity of the "C" caliber or higher can attend any film premiere he or she wishes, with or without an invitation.
Where would that put Heidi and Spencer, if they decided to crash a premiere that was not their own? Well...
"I would certainly let them walk the carpet if they showed up!" says Ava DuVernay, whose firm, DVA PR, has organized many a premiere, including Dreamgirls. "The press loves them, and I am there to get press for the movie."
So how do celebrities find out about these premieres in the first place?
"Usually the film publicist will do a blast and reach out to the publicity community and ask them to submit names of talent who are in town and who might be a good fit to attend the premiere," DuVernay explains. "Names are submitted, and from there, the filmmakers and studio decide who will get an invitation extended to them."
The goal: filling up the roster with enough celebrity attendees to get the press to show up.
Rarely, a low-level "celebrity" will appear at a premiere unbidden.
"Usually it's someone of the level of Phoebe Price, or the random model or video girl," DuVernay says. "Then it's up to the organizers to decide whether to let them walk the carpet, and whether we can get them a seat."
Hey, they can always sit on Courteney's lap.
Got a question about Hollywood? ASK IT: answerbitch@eonline.com
Oh, and be my fan on Facebook, 'kay?
Podcasts
How Much Did the Michael Jackson Memorial Cost?
- How many millions did L.A. taxpayers spend on that Staples Center party, er, distinguished event? Could any other celeb deaths top this? Plus, plenty more in another all-M.J. A.B.!
Why's Everybody Being so Mean to Michael Jackson?
- It's pretty much all MJ in our weekly episode!
How Much Hired Help Does Kate Gosselin Have?
- Did Chris Brown get off 'cause he's famous? Do stars steal stuff? Why does John Mayer do so many covers? All this and sooo much more in our weekly episode!
Speidi Can't Sue & Palin Can't Shut Up
- Is Sarah Palin what's ailin' Conan? Can Speidi sue over jungle fever? Why do music stars play so many cover songs? All this and champagne too in our weekly episode!
2 Comments
-
Show the next 1 - 0 of 2 comments
Now loading...