AWESOME ALERT: Hollywood on 54th Street

I did something very L.A. tonight. I know in a blog about New York, this would be quite the contrarian thing to say, but it’s true.

Thanks to the Young Members Circle at the Museum of the City of New York and a generous soul at Paramount Pictures, I was invited to a screening of the new Steve Carell and Paul Rudd movie, Dinner for Schmucks. At least that was what I was told. Turns out, it’s the PREMIERE of the movie! Having never been to a movie premiere before, even after spending the first 17 years of my life in SoCal (you know it’s been a while since I’ve lived there because I call it SoCal), I truly did not know what to expect. Do I get to walk the red carpet? Do I get to meet all the stars? What about free popcorn? Well, no there is a side entrance for non-stars, no, but I did get pretty close to Michael Scott himself and actually, yes it was quite tasty.

Steve Carell with the paparazzi

Christine enjoying the free popcorn

My guest, Christine, and I marveled at the ornate setting of the historical Ziegfeld Theater while munching on popcorn and waiting for the film to begin. The crowd buzzed when Steve Carell in a sharp blue blazer entered the theater, Paul Rudd with a rather robust beard caused quite the stir as he took his seat and flashes popped when Zach Galifianakis, who cleans up rather nice, greeted fans already seated. The film’s director Jay Roach (think Meet the Parents and Austin Powers) introduced the film saying that it contains the work of “perhaps 16 to 20 of the world’s funniest people.” (Um, excuse me, but when has a movie EVER been introduced to me by its director in person!?).

Inside of the Ziegfeld Theater

Christine and I before the movie

The movie was highly entertaining, and in fact I’d recommend you all go out and see it. Steve Carell fulfilled his typecast but wonderful “schmuck” of a character and Paul Rudd was his charming self, but perhaps the most comical part of the evening, was the fact that I was not even expecting it. That’s the beauty of life in this city. Opportunity is in fact everywhere, and I love running into it.

Dinner for Schmucks opens everywhere July 30.