“Sorry for the sound effects back here,” agent Jill Smoller offered to those around her as she talked back to the screen during the emotional conclusion of a screening of Broadcast Film Critics documentary nominee “Undefeated.”
Serena Williams hosted the intimate screening at Raleigh Studios on Wednesday. Shot in fall 2009, before “The Blind Side” came out, the film covers an underdog low income team in Memphis and their “in loco parentis” volunteer coach, who doubles as life coach.
There were rumors that Common would be among the 25 attendees, but the rapper/actor was an area code away down in Orange County, where he was sneaking a mini-set from his next album at Los Angeles Confidential event benefitting Sean Penn’s Haiti Relief organization, J/P HRO.
Definitely in attendance: Weinstein Co. director of acquisitions Peter Lawson. Lawson spotted and snagged the film in an auction at South by Southwest, and checked out reactions first hand as director-producer Daniel Lindsay hung out with the star tennis player acting as a surrogate.
Ironically, before Lindsay sold his film to the Weinsteins, he once played a bit part in the Entourage episode "Sorry, Harvey," where Vince and his buddies refused to sell a film to the movie mogul.
Wednesday night’s event fell just hours before the Golden Globes nominations announcement on Thursday. After Thursday morning's Golden Globes nomination announcements, Gerard Butler and Rashida Jones (above right) kick started the season with a Moet & Chandon liquid breakfast.
That night, Oprah Winfrey threw the OWN holiday party at the Beverly Thursday night. Winfrey had a “chase vehicle” tailing behind her Escalade containing her personal security detail.
Ricky Minor, host and NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt, and Jay Leno anchored NBC’s Holiday Open House (above). In another wing of the house, it was a real “Office” party for once, as castmates Ed Helms and Paul Lieberstein hung out, while over in the reality circle, Paul Telegdy held court with Mark Burnett (“The Voice”) and Alison Sweeney (“The Biggest Loser”). (Photos by Paul Drinkwater/NBC)
You won’t see this at the mall. While everyone else was shopping this weekend, MTV action star Rob Dyrdek pulled off a skateboard “kick flip” on steroids - launching a Chevy Sonic off a giant skateboard ramp at Magic Mountain. The full stunt will air in the next season of Dyrdek’s show "Fantasy Factory."
Finally, Molly Sims, Ali Larter, Jenna Dewan Tatum, Maria Menounos and L.A.’s favorite Brit, Zen Freeman, lit up the London hotel in West Hollywood last week, where Sims and Cavallari were popping popchips as Jessica Seinfeld mingled with those who came out to support her Baby Buggy charity.
