Variety On the Town

A Year of Parties and Premieres

A look back at some highlights in 2007:

Ragin' Cajuns

The event: "Little Chenier" premiere

The details: Saturday in New Orleans at the Prytania theater followed by an after-party at Grand Isle.

The guest list: Pic’s stars Johnathon Schaech, Fred Koehler, Tamara Braun, Clifton Collins Jr., Chris Mulkey, Isabella Hofmann, director-writer Bethany Ashton Wolf and writer Jace Johnson plus members of the local community.

The menu: Cajun cuisine like gumbo and fried alligator and a local cocktail called Sazerac made from a 200-year-old recipe.

The entertainment: Zydeco music from the Abe Manuel Band (whose members appear in the film) joined by 16-year-old fiddler Amanda Shaw.

The talk: The tale of two brothers, which Louisiana lieutenant governor Mitch Landrieu called “the most accurate depiction of Cajun culture” that he had ever seen, finished shooting just one month before Hurricane Rita devastated the southwestern Louisiana community where the pic was filmed. The preem was a fund-raiser for those in the region who are still in need. Money was raised for  Rita Remembered (P O Box 145, Lake Charles, LA 70602), which aids people through an arts and literacy program; and Musicians’ Village — a cornerstone of the area’s Habitat for Humanity program — which was conceived by Harry Connick Jr. and Branford Marsalis’ to provide a community for the city’s displaced musicians.

From left: Jace Johnson, Chris Mulkey, Isabella Hofmann, Johnathon Schaech,
Bethany Ashton Wolf, Clifton Collins Jr. and Tamara Braun. (Photo by Catherine Victoria)

Nicholson is on the 'List'

The event: "The Bucket List" premiere

The details: Sunday at the Cinerama Dome/ party at Boulevard3

The guest list: Rob Reiner, Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Alan Horn, Billy Crystal, John Mayer

The menu: At the holiday themed after-party guests were treated to a Christmas feast of turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing.

The talk:  In his opening remarks, Reiner recalled pitching the movie to Warner Bros. prexy Alan Horn saying, "I wanna make a movie about two older guys dying of cancer, give me $45 million. Alan had the guts to do that," he said.

A Toast to Ridley

The event: A dinner celebrating helmer Ridley Scott and "American Gangster"

The details: Saturday at Ago in West Hollywood

The guest list: Denzel Washington, Ridley Scott, Ron Meyer, Marc Shmuger, David Linde and Brian Grazer

The menu: pizza, pasta and salmon

The talk: "It was very hard to get this movie going and it was a completely dead project," said Grazer. "Then Ridley Scott came aboard and caused are really dead project to become a really great and memorable film."

'Walk Hard' Hits Hollywood

The event: "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" premiere

The details: Wednesday at Grauman's Chinese Theater

The guest list: John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Judd Apatow, Kristen Wiig, Chris Parnell, Tim Meadows, Justin Long, Amy Pascal, Jeff Blake, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Will Ferrell

A Sweet Reception for 'Blood'

The event: "There Will Be Blood" Gotham premiere

The details: A small reception at Brasserie 8 ½ on Monday night before the Ziegfeld screening.

The guest list: Helmer Paul Thomas Anderson and pic's stars Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano

The menu: Five tables filled with desserts - cookies, brownies, chocolates,  you name it.

The Talk: Anderson said making the pic just over two and a half hours, "was not a conscious decision, " adding,  "It sort of ended up being its own beast."  (A. Morfoot)

Hanks Ready for 'War'

The event: Charlie Wilson's War premiere

The details: Monday at Universal City Walk

The guest list: Tom Hanks, Charlie Wilson, Julia Roberts, helmer Mike Nichols and Diane Sawyer

The talk:  Wilson is portrayed as a heavy-drinking womanizer in the film and after watching the pic, he told USA Today; "I plead guilty to everything — with a smile on my face."

A 'Grace' Full Lunch

The event: An intimate lunch celebrating the pic "Grace is Gone."

The details: Thursday at Brasserie Ruhlmann in Rockefeller Plaza

The guest list: John Cusack, producer Grace Loh and Harvey Weinstein

The menu: rubber chicken and french fries

The goodies: Each guest took home a DVD of the film.

The talk: While trying to convince guests to go home and watch the pic, Cusack said "I wish Harvey were here - he is a much better salesman than me." Weinstein made a very brief appearance at the affair before sneaking out. Despite his absence, Cusack did "sell" the film to the group by mentioning that "Grace is Gone" is the first and only film other than his own that Clint Eastwood scored.
(A. Morfoot)

Dewey Cox Rocks the Roxy

The event: A performance by Dewey Cox to tub-thump his musical-comedy biopic “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story”

The details: Monday night at The Roxy in West Hollywood

The guest list: pic’s producer-scribe Judd Apatow, pic’s helmer-scribe Jake Kasdan, Gina Gershon and Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly).

The talk: In his dressing room before the show, Reilly reflected on what we can all learn from the foibles of his tortured rock star alter-ego, Dewey Cox. “It’s funny what the rock star life does to you. At some point it will make you a narcissist and you’ll try to medicate your pain in unusual ways and woman often get worked up around rock stars. With that comes trouble,” explained Reilly, “even through his darkest days and worst decisions, Dewey really thinks he’s doing right.”  And on that note, Cox took the stage, greeted his fans as “Cox Lovers” and threw his sweaty towels at them as souvenirs; thus making the ladies scream.  The set list included such Cox standards as “Let’s Duet,” “Guilty as Charged” and the women’s rights song “Ladies First.” (A. D’Alessandro)

'Juno' Journeys to L.A.

The event:  "Juno" premiere

The details: Monday night at the Mann Village Theater in Westwood followed by a party at the Napa Valley Grille.

The guest list: Pic's Ellen Page, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons, Michael Cera, Rainn Wilson and Allison Janney

The menu: Juno's favorite drink: blue slushies

The talk: "I was going to make another movie like 'Thank You for Smoking' until I came across this script," said helmer Jason Reitman. "This movie shows that I have a heart so thank you very much for giving me the job."