This is the scene of the fun yesterday. For decades, going way back into silent film days, and through the Golden Age of Hollywood, it was Grumman's Chinese theater. When I worked over the hill on the
American Gladiators crew (and a few others) in the early 1990's, it was Mann's Chinese theater. These days, it's TCL Chinese theater, and it's where famous actors have been putting their hand prints and footprints in cement for like 80 years. The sidewalk was rerouted around the little bleachers, which were actually a media platform, but blocked the view for fans. I tried to stand inside those orange barriers, but security kept moving along so we couldn't stand there. So I posted up across the street, where I could see the stage, though kind of far away, and could hear the mike at first, then the audio faded out. So I didn't hear anything after Ben Affleck's first few words.
Here's Ben Affleck, who got his first big role, and several more decent roles, in Kevin Smith movies. Yeah, that's him below the blue light in the center of the shot. Not optimal viewing, but I could see the stage during the actual event. I tried to find a closer place to stand earlier, but the security woman said, "Oh, there's a line over there," and pointed to the West side of the theater, around the corner. I went there, and there was no line. So I watched from across the street.
After the speeches, when Kevin and Jason were actually putting their hand and feet prints, they went out of sight. So I decided to try and find a close view. I went into a little entryway, and it opened up to the side of the scene. This, above, is my view from there. There were two security guys, guarding a fence, and this was the actual fans section, but it was closed off, nobody else was getting in. So I had my funny cardboard sign, and I watched as fans got selfies with Kevin, Jason, and a couple other Kevin Smith movie alums, and they all were doing multiple interviews. I thought this was as close as I was going to get. Hey, there are very few people in Hollywood I'd walk across the street to see. But Kevin Smith's stuff is hilarious, original, and I love his movies. I've been a fan since
Clerks. And his random talks about making movies, which are just as funny.
After standing there, after the official ceremony, I stood behind that fence, 40 feet away from the action, for about 20, maybe 30 minutes. Finally things were winding down, Jason Mewes had taken a few selfies with fans, then got pulled across the set to do TV interviews. Brian O'Halloran, who played Dante in Clerks, the guy who said the epic line I put on my sign, was there. I had to look up his name just now, but I recognized him. It was only then, a couple hours into my Jay and Silent Bob hand print adventure, that I thought, "Hey, it'd be cool to get him to sign my sign. But I was back in uncool person land.
Along the way, about ten other fans saw my sign, and stopped me to take photos. I was unshaven, I looked like hell, because, well,
I AM homeless, and I'm moving around all day to get wifi and power and to draw the current picture, to make a few bucks. So I'm scummed out most of the time. So it was funny that 8 or 10 people wanted photos of my goofy sign, and me.
Then things just fell into place again. Another fan talked the guards about letting him in, since basically everything was over, except Kevin and Jason doing more TV/internet interviews, and talking to the 40 or so fans there. So the guards decided to let that guy in, and the tall guard pointed at me, because I'd been chill, and joking with him for 20 minutes, and he said, "Let this guy go too." So this photo is me behind the fan crowd, inside the fan area, thinking, OK,
THIS is as close as I'll get. I'll maybe be able to get a photo of Kevin from 6 or 8 feet away, right before my phone dies. Cool. That was it for another ten minutes.
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