This post is going to be a little eclectic, because last weekend was all about film/tv events in Los Angeles. We went to two PaleyFest panels: Modern Family and LOST, and thanks to Erin, we scored tickets to a free screening of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" on the FOX lot. We capped the weekend at the Regal LA Live 14 theater, using free passes from last fall's Bay State Gala to see "Shutter Island."
First up: Friday Night's Modern Family Panel!
This was the first night of PaleyFest, which is a series of television panels run by the Paley Center (founded by William S. Paley, who created what became CBS, who wanted to create a place for discussion of quality film/TV/radio). "Modern Family," a show we all agree is the best and funniest new show on television was the subject of this evening's event.
Before the panel came out, we saw a screening of the latest episode--hilarious, and commercial-free! What a great mood to be put into before the panelist took the stage.This panel was SO much fun. The panel was made up by six members of the cast (all the adult leads), director/producer Jason Winer, and creator/executive producer Steve Levitan. Each one of them was thrilled to be there, the novelty of having a surprise hit show clearly not yet worn off. All the panelists jumped to answer each question, and the whole room was buoyant with...joy.
We heard many funny stories about moments on set, including the above image of my man Ty Burrell "krumping." He looks like a T-Rex trying to dance. The panelists talked about the genesis of the show--the casting process, the shooting process (get in, get out, and get home), and how much fun they have working with each other.
If you don't watch it already, PLEASE start watching "Modern Family," ABC on Wednesday night--this show is redefining the image of family in America; it's both funny and warm; well-written, well-acted, and well-edited. I can't speak highly enough for the way in which the show by-passes the usual Hollywood mentalities of homophobia, racism, and ageism. It's worth your time--tell us what you think about it!
The next morning, Erin took us into the very cool (and quite Simpsonified) FOX lot to see a free screening of "Percy Jackson" in what may be the nicest theater I have ever been in. I *loved* the movie. I thought it was so fun, and I love anything with mythic ties. If you're not the type to take this type of movie seriously, you'll have a lot of laughs watching it--Vegas montage to Lady Gaga's "Pokerface" had us in tears. The cast is great, the SFX are decent, and there are plenty of puns spicing up the script. It's directed by Chris Columbus, which is why it looks like an early Harry Potter movie. Well, that, and the fact that it has a young male protagonist with parent-drama, who just found out he's not quite normal, going on a magical adventure with two friends, one boy and one girl.
Then: Saturday night--the LOST panel!
The line before the seven o'clock LOST panel started before three, and by the time we got there at 5:30, it was giant.
Luckily, we love waiting in lines. The tickets for PaleyFest are sold by section, not by seat, so it's first-come, first-served within each section.
"LOST" isn't the type of show that could screen an entire new episode before the panelists came out, but they did show a clip of the following week's show. The clip was introduced by Damon and Carlton, and I admit to totally fangirl-ing out (as Erin puts it) when they walked on stage. If you readers out there are LOST fans, you'll enjoy their weekly LOST podcast--it's informative and hilarious.
Paul Scheer moderated the evening, and he was excellent. He's a huge fan of the show, as well as a successful comedian, so he struck a perfect balance between really specific, nerdy questions, and really fun questions that made the audience and panelists alike laugh.
The panel itself was made up of five producer/writers, director Jack Bender, and four actors (Terry O'Quinn, Michael Emerson, Nestor Carbonell, and Zuleihka Robinson). This could not have been more the opposite of "Modern Family." The cast and crew are jaded, and very guarded about the upcoming season of the show. Sitcoms don't need "spoiler alerts," but LOST is a show about mystery, and this close to the end...everyone was careful not to divulge too much.
Having said that, I think we *did* get some interesting answers and some fun stories out of the panel, and I was riveted the entire two hours that we were listening to the panel speak. I'm pretty biased, because I have loved LOST since my mom convinced me to watch Season One, and I love that every time a group of my friends gets together for dinner in LA, at least one conversation will ignite into a debate about LOST. So, I won't get into politics now, but...if you have time, please grab the DVDs of LOST, starting at Season One, and feel free to text me your reaction at each point along the way. Especially during the first episode of season two...and of season three.So, that was Saturday.
On Sunday, we finally cashed in our free Regal passes, and bought tickets to see "Shutter Island" at the Regal LA Live 14 Theater.
I get quite terrified during horror movies. I finger-filter. I hide in the shoulder of anyone nearby. However, I put that bias aside in order to see this movie, because Scorcese and Leo have won me over. My friends and I are in agreement, I think, in believing that "Shutter Island" was pretty, but predictable. Once again, I'm a sucker for setting--I love anything set in Massachusetts. There are some good acting moments amidst a lot of weird/interesting cinematography and editing, so it's definitely worth seeing. Having said that, we all figured out everything (no spoilers) pretty quickly, so it wasn't quite so thrilling.Readers--have you seen any of these movies/tv shows? What are your (spoiler-free) thoughts? Comment!
Stay tuned for Erin's adventures in the north!
-Jenn
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