"Twilight" Zone: Los Angeles Premiere

One of the more unique aspects of living in Los Angeles is the chance to experience a Hollywood movie premiere.

Last November I randomly came across the premiere of New Moon, second installment of the "Twilight" series at the Mann Village Theater located in Westwood Village, next to UCLA.

My office is less than 100 yards from all this.

An entire city street was blocked for the big event, with several thousand fans lined up for a glimpse of the film's stars who would be arriving later that evening. I was just passing through and wasn't planning on sticking around.

UCLA co-eds studying (or trying to study) while waiting.


Broxton Avenue was completely closed off for the premiere. A large crew had been there since early morning and was continuing to get things set up.

The Mann Village Theater is located approximately seven miles west of Hollywood and hosts premieres like this throughout the year.

Lots of red carpet, lights and crowd control barricades.


More red carpet. This stuff can't be cheap, even if they buy it in bulk.

I wonder if they re-use it.

Probably not.


Another view down Broxton. As popular as the "Twilight" series is, I had never heard of it. What can I say? I work as a campus minister to university professors. Let's just say they have their minds focused on other things.

Fans (the vast majority of whom were young women in their 20's) were lined up along both side of Broxton for a glimpse of the stars when they showed up a couple hours later.


Last minute touches: crew member vacuuming the carpet in front of the theater.


More fans lined up across the street along the corner of Broxton and Weyburn.


The view away from the red carpet makes everything look a bit less glamorous. While Broxton was blocked off, the rest Westwood Village still has to function, with Weyburn open to traffic.


Traffic rolling by along Weyburn, with lights and red carpet of the Premiere behind the barricades. To the left is the Mann Village Theater http://www.experiencingla.com/2009/03/fox-theater-westwood-village.html and to the right (serving as an overflow theater) the Bruin: http://www.experiencingla.com/2009/10/bruin-theater-westwood-village.html. These links are to some previous posts on these two theaters.


"We came all way from Ohio to get bit by Edward." Shouldn't it be "all the way from Ohio?" Sorry about the blurry picture - taken from my car as I was heading home.

As I said, I hadn't even heard to this film series until I stumbled across this premiere. OK, now I know it's some sort of romantic vampire movie and that third installment, Eclipse, opens today (technically last night at 12:01am).

In the meantime, I look forward to taking my kids to see The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third film in "The Chronicles of Narnia" series later this year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrJQDPpIK6I.

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