NY Premiere of “Slipstream” and my very own “Ferris Bueller’s 1/2 Day Off”
October 20, 2007
Hopkins mentioned in his interview on “Regis & Kelly” that “Slipstream” was having its NY Premiere at the Museum of Modern Art on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007. Huh? How did I not know about this? OMG, it is probably sold out and I won’t get a ticket. So, after the show, I headed to my office and immediately Googled MOMA and got the phone number to the Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters, called and found out that tickets were still available but I had to show up at 1PM on Thursday to purchase one. Oh, and the zinger, Hopkins will be at the event to present his film.
Hmm, I’m working tomorrow, the screening is at 6:15PM and 8:30PM...what am I going to do? I’m supposed to be in early for a staff meeting at 12PM and my shift starts at 5PM. OK, blow off the staff meeting, next, who can help me out? Luckily, a colleague appreciates my enthusiasm and offers to cover my shift while I attend the 6:15PM screening. Plan in motion, now I need a ticket.
I’m an optimist but I figured there would be a huge line for tickets. Since I had already gotten up early yesterday to be in the audience for “Regis & Kelly, I wasn’t going to get up early again. My strategy is to show up around 12PM and score a ticket. To my surprise, I’m the first person there. Yikes, am I the only Anthony Hopkins fan in NYC? Around 12:15PM some others joined me in line and at 1PM I pranced out of MOMA with 2 tickets in my hot little hand and head to work for a staff meeting I would be very late for.
I returned to the theatre at 5PM and I have an extra ticket because none of my friends or colleagues were able to join me. They were too busy being responsible adults to their previous commitments...unlike me, who even at 46, still lives life out loud and wasn’t going to miss a unique experience by letting work get in the way. I found a charming older gentleman who was first on line for standby tickets. I handed him my extra ticket. He said if he didn’t get another, he would give this one to his wife so she could attend. Ah, chivalry and love aren’t dead. By the way, I saw him later on inside the theatre and he was with his wife. Around 5:30PM ushers started scanning tickets and I begin to scope out a good seat. In the center of the theatre there are 5 rows that are reserved which I figure are for VIP’s, nah, I think to myself, no chance of Sir Tony sitting there. Therefore, instead of sitting on the far right side of the first row of un-reserved seats, I head to the second row in front of the podium. Yes, perfect, close-up, sweet. I sit down, relax, and entertain myself with my iPhone. Twenty minutes later I turn around and there is Sir Tony in the first row of reserved seats, yup, I would have been sitting in the next row right in front of him. Always go with your instincts. Sigh....
Hopkins, the gentleman he is, thanked those who worked with him on the project and explained a bit about the film. It was a treat to see it again and it makes alot more sense on the second viewing. You will understand what I mean if you see the film. Unfortunately, no Q & A after the screening, I’m really glad I saw him present the film back in May at the Seattle International Film Festival where they did have the Q & A. I got back to work at 9PM and felt alive, a bit of irresponsibility does that to me. I measure my life in events and experiences, and to take a quote from Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Oh, and if you ever wondered if Anthony Hopkins eyes are really that blue, they are.
