At The Alchemy Premiere (April 25/05) (by 'MS') Upon hearing that Tom Cavanagh's new movie Alchemy (2004) was premiering at the famous Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, a small group of us Ed-heads decided to attend. I met up with GP, PG, MK, RD, and RW (all with whom I have gone on previous Ed-ventures with) in an area nearby where the film was showing, and met for dinner before we got in line for the film. Surprisingly enough, we were not blown away, as it was quite the windy night as we waited outside to get seated. Prior to us going into the theatre, we discovered that there is usually a Q&A (Questions & Answers period) following the premiere of a film, with the cast and crew, which was an added plus, as we did not know for sure if we would see Tom at the event. As we were seated in the theatre, we noticed a reserved section in the middle, which we later discovered is where those involved with the film would be seated. We saw Sarah Chalke arrive, Tom's co-star on the hit TV show Scrubs, and also in Alchemy. Before we knew it, the lights were turned off and the movie began. The premise of the movie is as follows. Tom's character is a professor named 'Malcolm ('Mal') Downey', who discovers that in order to secure his teaching position, he must be published within the span of two weeks. At his wits end, 'Mal' confides in his best friend, played by Illeana Douglas, who attempts to set him up with 'Samantha', played by Sarah Chalke. This does not at first register with him, but he does come up with an idea of how he can get published. So he decides to pay his ex-girlfriend (played by Nadia Dajani) a visit, who happens to be a magazine editor, and she gives him the idea to do an experiment on internet dating, to see if a computer can make a woman fall in love with it. They decide that there also needs to be a real person involved, so they recruit 'Dr. Love', played by theatre vet James Barbour, who has not only guest starred on Ed, but has also appeared with Tom as 'Officer Longstock' in the Broadway musical Urinetown. They also ask 'Samantha' to be the 'guinea pig', which she jumps at the chance to do. Without giving too much away, the film is a romantic comedy with the classic love triangle, but at the same time works against the conventions of the typical romantic comedy. There are many moments in the film that are reminiscent of an Ed scenario, but it was great to see Tom in a role where you did not sit there thinking, "Hey, when did Ed Stevens get in this film?". We also discovered during the credits that the voice of the computer was actually Michael Ian Black, which was a nice surprise for us Ed fans. The film also starred screen legend Celeste Holm, who played 'Mal's' very cool grandmother. After the end of the film, director Evan Oppenheimer walked down to the front of the theatre and introduced the cast. He actually introduced Tom as his partner-in-crime, then Sarah Chalke, James Barbour, and the others followed. When he opened up for the questions from the audience, there was a dead silence, so I decided to take the plunge. I asked him how he decided on the casting, or did he know some of the cast already. He mentioned how there was the usual process of auditioning and searching for the right actors/actresses, but that he was a fan of Sarah's and Tom's television work, and that everyone else just kind of came together after that. He also mentioned that Tom suggested James Barbour to him for the film. I can't remember exactly the questions that Tom answered as everything was moving so fast. I remember James Barbour talking about how he came around to the project. When he mentioned that he did an episode of Ed and was in Urinetown with Tom, our group clapped, and he made some funny comments in acknowledgement. Tom also looked in our direction and gave us a great big smile. The questions went on for about 15 minutes or so, and eventually they had to stop because another movie was about to begin soon, so many people got up and left the theatre, but some also went down to the front to mingle. We sort of hung back a bit at first, then decided to head down to see what would happen. So four of us, myself, GP, RW and her then-fiance D (now husband) decided to go to the front and mingle with the cast and crew. I noticed Sarah Chalke on the left side of the crowd talking to a couple of crew members, so GP and I decided to go over and talk to her while we had the chance. We waited patiently until the right moment to approach her and as soon as her conversation was over I said "Hello" to her. I knew a lot of Sarah's work, not only from Scrubs, but also from Roseanne and an old show from Canadian television called Nothing Too Good For A Cowboy. I mentioned to her that I saw a piece she did with her father on a Canadian talk show where they talked about her family's work with international adoptions. After hearing that, she asked me if I was Canadian and I said that I was, and she asked me where I was from. When I told her I was from Ottawa she lit up and said "I'm from Ottawa too and so is Tom!" So we had a bit to talk about after that, and I told her how I used to watch her old CBC show as well and she got a kick out of that. GP asked her about Josh Randall's appearances on Scrubs, and she said that they love having him there and that he'd be back next season, which we were glad to hear. She graciously thanked us for coming out for the festival, and then we moved on to the other side of the room. Tom was pretty much occupied the entire time and graciously took pictures and spoke with fans and others who came up to talk to him. He was in a very animated conversation with someone that he knew so we stood by patiently hoping to get a chance to talk to him. He definitely was the center of attention. James Barbour was also in the vicinity, but he was not within reach, so we did not attempt to talk to him. However, PG (from our group) did, and asked him if he had anything coming up. He mentioned that he had about four theatre projects that he was reviewing. While we were waiting to talk to Tom, I noticed his wife Maureen in the room, so I went over and introduced myself to her. I then introduced her to RW and D (GP had gone back up to where the rest of the group was standing), and we had a great conversation with her. She asked if we had talked to Tom yet and I said we hadn't, so she got his attention for us right before he was whisked away by his group. She kindly introduced me to Tom, who gave me a great big bear hug. I introduced him to RW and D and we got to talk to him a little bit. He asked me about Ottawa and how film school was going and I asked him if it was painful to speak French in such a bad accent (there is a part in the film where he has to pretend to be a guy from Paris named "Jerry") and he said it wasn't, but that he loves the Parisian accent and that it was a lot of fun. We literally had no time to talk to him in depth about anything Ed-related or about his upcoming projects, as we all got kicked out of the theatre, including the cast and crew. So we quickly said our goodbyes to Tom and Maureen and made our way out of the theatre. In the lobby area, many of the people that were at the front of the theatre continued to mingle, which seemed to last for quite a while, but we didn't try talking to Tom again, to be fair with other fans. So, with nothing left to do we went outside and began the trek home. It's always great to get together with my Ed buddies, but it was also a plus to get to see Tom again and to meet the others involved in the film. It was especially wonderful to meet Maureen, who was extremely nice and friendly to a small group of us Ed fans, even though she didn't really know us. Had she not gotten Tom's attention for us, I think we would not have gotten to talk to him at all, so that was very kind of her. At any rate, the whole evening was a great experience, and another excellent Ed-venture for the books. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that Alchemy will make it to a theatre near you. (Webmaster's note: Thanks to MS for another fine article, and for the pictures below.) |
TO INDEX PAGE. |
At The Alchemy Premiere (April 25/05) (by 'MS') Upon hearing that Tom Cavanagh's new movie Alchemy (2004) was premiering at the famous Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, a small group of us Ed-heads decided to attend. I met up with GP, PG, MK, RD, and RW (all with whom I have gone on previous Ed-ventures with) in an area nearby where the film was showing, and met for dinner before we got in line for the film. Surprisingly enough, we were not blown away, as it was quite the windy night as we waited outside to get seated. Prior to us going into the theatre, we discovered that there is usually a Q&A (Questions & Answers period) following the premiere of a film, with the cast and crew, which was an added plus, as we did not know for sure if we would see Tom at the event. As we were seated in the theatre, we noticed a reserved section in the middle, which we later discovered is where those involved with the film would be seated. We saw Sarah Chalke arrive, Tom's co-star on the hit TV show Scrubs, and also in Alchemy. Before we knew it, the lights were turned off and the movie began. The premise of the movie is as follows. Tom's character is a professor named 'Malcolm ('Mal') Downey', who discovers that in order to secure his teaching position, he must be published within the span of two weeks. At his wits end, 'Mal' confides in his best friend, played by Illeana Douglas, who attempts to set him up with 'Samantha', played by Sarah Chalke. This does not at first register with him, but he does come up with an idea of how he can get published. So he decides to pay his ex-girlfriend (played by Nadia Dajani) a visit, who happens to be a magazine editor, and she gives him the idea to do an experiment on internet dating, to see if a computer can make a woman fall in love with it. They decide that there also needs to be a real person involved, so they recruit 'Dr. Love', played by theatre vet James Barbour, who has not only guest starred on Ed, but has also appeared with Tom as 'Officer Longstock' in the Broadway musical Urinetown. They also ask 'Samantha' to be the 'guinea pig', which she jumps at the chance to do. Without giving too much away, the film is a romantic comedy with the classic love triangle, but at the same time works against the conventions of the typical romantic comedy. There are many moments in the film that are reminiscent of an Ed scenario, but it was great to see Tom in a role where you did not sit there thinking, "Hey, when did Ed Stevens get in this film?". We also discovered during the credits that the voice of the computer was actually Michael Ian Black, which was a nice surprise for us Ed fans. The film also starred screen legend Celeste Holm, who played 'Mal's' very cool grandmother. After the end of the film, director Evan Oppenheimer walked down to the front of the theatre and introduced the cast. He actually introduced Tom as his partner-in-crime, then Sarah Chalke, James Barbour, and the others followed. When he opened up for the questions from the audience, there was a dead silence, so I decided to take the plunge. I asked him how he decided on the casting, or did he know some of the cast already. He mentioned how there was the usual process of auditioning and searching for the right actors/actresses, but that he was a fan of Sarah's and Tom's television work, and that everyone else just kind of came together after that. He also mentioned that Tom suggested James Barbour to him for the film. I can't remember exactly the questions that Tom answered as everything was moving so fast. I remember James Barbour talking about how he came around to the project. When he mentioned that he did an episode of Ed and was in Urinetown with Tom, our group clapped, and he made some funny comments in acknowledgement. Tom also looked in our direction and gave us a great big smile. The questions went on for about 15 minutes or so, and eventually they had to stop because another movie was about to begin soon, so many people got up and left the theatre, but some also went down to the front to mingle. We sort of hung back a bit at first, then decided to head down to see what would happen. So four of us, myself, GP, RW and her then-fiance D (now husband) decided to go to the front and mingle with the cast and crew. I noticed Sarah Chalke on the left side of the crowd talking to a couple of crew members, so GP and I decided to go over and talk to her while we had the chance. We waited patiently until the right moment to approach her and as soon as her conversation was over I said "Hello" to her. I knew a lot of Sarah's work, not only from Scrubs, but also from Roseanne and an old show from Canadian television called Nothing Too Good For A Cowboy. I mentioned to her that I saw a piece she did with her father on a Canadian talk show where they talked about her family's work with international adoptions. After hearing that, she asked me if I was Canadian and I said that I was, and she asked me where I was from. When I told her I was from Ottawa she lit up and said "I'm from Ottawa too and so is Tom!" So we had a bit to talk about after that, and I told her how I used to watch her old CBC show as well and she got a kick out of that. GP asked her about Josh Randall's appearances on Scrubs, and she said that they love having him there and that he'd be back next season, which we were glad to hear. She graciously thanked us for coming out for the festival, and then we moved on to the other side of the room. Tom was pretty much occupied the entire time and graciously took pictures and spoke with fans and others who came up to talk to him. He was in a very animated conversation with someone that he knew so we stood by patiently hoping to get a chance to talk to him. He definitely was the center of attention. James Barbour was also in the vicinity, but he was not within reach, so we did not attempt to talk to him. However, PG (from our group) did, and asked him if he had anything coming up. He mentioned that he had about four theatre projects that he was reviewing. While we were waiting to talk to Tom, I noticed his wife Maureen in the room, so I went over and introduced myself to her. I then introduced her to RW and D (GP had gone back up to where the rest of the group was standing), and we had a great conversation with her. She asked if we had talked to Tom yet and I said we hadn't, so she got his attention for us right before he was whisked away by his group. She kindly introduced me to Tom, who gave me a great big bear hug. I introduced him to RW and D and we got to talk to him a little bit. He asked me about Ottawa and how film school was going and I asked him if it was painful to speak French in such a bad accent (there is a part in the film where he has to pretend to be a guy from Paris named "Jerry") and he said it wasn't, but that he loves the Parisian accent and that it was a lot of fun. We literally had no time to talk to him in depth about anything Ed-related or about his upcoming projects, as we all got kicked out of the theatre, including the cast and crew. So we quickly said our goodbyes to Tom and Maureen and made our way out of the theatre. In the lobby area, many of the people that were at the front of the theatre continued to mingle, which seemed to last for quite a while, but we didn't try talking to Tom again, to be fair with other fans. So, with nothing left to do we went outside and began the trek home. It's always great to get together with my Ed buddies, but it was also a plus to get to see Tom again and to meet the others involved in the film. It was especially wonderful to meet Maureen, who was extremely nice and friendly to a small group of us Ed fans, even though she didn't really know us. Had she not gotten Tom's attention for us, I think we would not have gotten to talk to him at all, so that was very kind of her. At any rate, the whole evening was a great experience, and another excellent Ed-venture for the books. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that Alchemy will make it to a theatre near you. (Webmaster's note: Thanks to MS for another fine article, and for the pictures below.) |
SARAH CHALKE & MS (Picture blurred for privacy) |
THE NYC SKYLINE NEAR THE FILM FESTIVAL |
