A little of Hollywood’s glitter sprinkled down on Dallas last night at the premier party for TNT’s DALLAS television show.
The Windspear Opera House was all dolled up with red carpet royalty in anticipation of the arrival of the Hummer stretch limos carrying television greats like Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy, Brenda Strong and Jesse Metcaffe. Fresh (albeit gorgeous) faces to many of the Dallas guests hand-picked by TNT to attend, were also Jordana Brewster, Josh Henderson and Julie Gonzalo who all sparkled in our big Texas eyes.
It was a huge night out for mama, and I soaked in every moment of it.
Vantage point 3 foot 4 inches. Princess Cupcake took our photo.
We arrived as the limos were pulling in, and found that we – the not-celebrities – also walked the red carpet to the entrance of the opulent theater.
The cast was on the right side of the sea of people, keeping ranks with swarms of media vying for their attention. We came through on the left.
But don’t think there wasn’t any eye candy for us. This cool backdrop was installed in the fountain causing a bit of a bottleneck as it was the ideal spot for an entrance photo.
Once inside, we were ushered to our seats. Three middle rows were reserved with white roses for the cast and television dignitaries and their guests. I tried to persuade the hubs to take the center seats directly in front of Jesse Metcaffe so I could hear his comments throughout the preview, but the hubs wasn’t so into climbing over either side of guests who had flanked the row. I’d have done it in a nanosecond, and threatened to move our seats when he left me momentarily to say hello to someone. (Shoulda done it.)
The presentation kicked off TNT heavyweights and City of Dallas leadership, but Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks stole the show. Well, this part of the show anyway. He spoke of how the TV program DALLAS changed his life. I won’t get the recount exactly right but you’ll get the jist of it. He said he had never watched the show until (insert month) 1983, episode 131 (insert storyline here) and it changed his life. He had asked this pretty girl out for a date and she told him that she couldn’t go that evening because she was a huge fan of DALLAS and it was coming on that night. This was before VCR’s were prevalent in every household. VCR’s were still pretty rare, but Steve had one. So he told the girl that he would record it. They could go out for a nice dinner and then come back to his place to watch the show. (Insert theater full of laughter.) She thought it was a great idea so they went out, he was instantly hooked on DALLAS and 29 years later, that pretty girl is still his wife.
Awwww…..
I asked him later if I could get a photo with him and he said, “Me? You want a photo with me? My wife doesn’t even want photos with me.” Endearing for sure.
So after the presentation and the proclamations and whatnot, the curtain raised on the next generation of DALLAS. I was prepared for campy stereotypical bad southern accent portrayal of our great city, but what I got was an engaging 90 minutes of backstabbing, conniving fun. The first 10 minutes or so of the pilot is a little rough as they lay the groundwork for what’s ahead. But stick with it, and then fasten your seat belt. You’ll be sucked into the tangled web that epitomizes the 80’s DALLAS icon. Everyone carries an ulterior motive and all their colors are on display throughout the next 70 minutes. And the silent character that shines through it all is our city itself.
The cast was well chosen, Brenda Strong as the new matriarc of Southfork, a perfect soulmate to Bobby Ewings tortured and cancer ridden soul. Jesse Metcaffe as their adopted son Christopher Ewing, bound and determined to make a name for himself in the family with alternative fuel exploration, and ultimately the resurgence of the Ewing name. You’ll fall in love with Elana Ramos (played by Jordana Brewster), the plucky and gorgeous daughter of the Ewings’ cook. Elena is the brains behind John Ross’ (played by Josh Henderson) deliberate defiance of Bobby’s wishes and secretly and successfully drills for oil on precious Southfork. Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) is pegged to be the next governor of Texas and God knows she has something up her sleeve.
And then. There’s Larry.
Larry Hagman makes his triumphant return as the deliciously wicked JR Ewing. He is the patriarch of the show, and the huggable scheming devil in the middle. But in the City of Dallas’ eyes, Larry Hagman is also a super hero. When this show was coming together and casting negotiations were underway, Larry said he would only do DALLAS 2.0 — if it was filmed – in Dallas. And so it is.
The whole first season was shot in Dallas in the studio where the Fox’s The Good Guy’s was filmed a couple years ago. It’s near Southside on Lamar, but don’t go rushing down there in hopes for a gander at a star. They’ve wrapped for this season.
I could lay out the storyline for you here, but: a) we’d have to have a venn diagram to keep track of all the blackmail and betrayals, and b) what’s the fun in a spoiler? Watch it on June 13th at 8 central time. And by gosh, set those VCR’s because this is one series that you cannot miss a single minute of, let alone an entire episode.
After the show was concluded, everyone in the audience was swelling with pride for our great city, faces plastered with grins and tummies growling for food. We were lured down the hallway by a intoxicating aroma and landed directly in front of a decadent spread by Wolfgang Puck Catering and open bar. There was a live Texas band to make the scene perfect.
From here, it was anything goes. The stars and TNT folks mingled with the Dallas dignitaries and took residence outside to greet their fans and pose for photos. It wasn’t the typical book signing scenario where you stand in line to pose for an awkward photo with a celebrity. They were completely accessible and seemingly happy (well, they are actors) to discuss the endless repetitive questions and gushing from fans.
I told the hubs that my evening would be complete if I could get a photo with Larry Hagman. So we were on a mission.
I don’t know why posing with celebrities is so compelling. They’re just regular people with highly visible jobs. And it’s not like we have a relationship or anything that would warrant that photo a spot on the mantle, but alas, I was swept away in the excitement of it all and wanted a collection of proof that on one enchanting evening, I rubbed elbows with Hollywood’s uppercrust. I had opted not to carry my Mamarazzi camera to the event because I thought it wouldn’t cram into my tiny purse and regret a little bit now because the lighting was not great with my camera phone, but here are some of my favorite photos from the evening:
Josh Henderson – I hate that this photo is so dark because he’s a nice looking drop dead gorgeous young man. I’d have like to have a better keepsake of this one! He seemed geniunely excited that the show had finally come to fruition, saying he was cast for it a year and a half ago. I told him this photo was for all the preschool mom’s at school. You may not know him now, but this hottie is on the way up. Even the hubs recognized that – he told Josh not to slip me any deets.
Patrick Duffy – Who doesn’t love Patrick Duffy?! His character Bobby Ewing battles cancer, but Patrick recalled a conversation with the directors as he pointed to his head saying, “I told them, there’s no way I’m losing this hair!” Amen to that.
Linda Gray – Beauty and elegance. Regrettably I did not get to meet her or Brenda Strong. 🙁
Jesse Metcaffe – We tried to get his stunning fiancé Cara Santana in the photo too but she wanted nothing of it. She was shaking her head no, no, no, and Jesse explained that she doesn’t like to get in the pictures. I asked her if she hates all this, and she admitted, yes, it’s too much. That’s okay, I’ll take a photo alone with Jesse Metcaffe anyday… The hubs was not exactly thrilled with my excitement over this one.
Jordana Brewster – She was there with her husband producer Andrew Form. Jordana was on the move more than the other actors but I blocked a doorway so she had to pose with me for this one. By the way, she had on about 6 inch heels and is about the size of your fingernail. And stunning. I think she may be my new favorite actress.
Julie Gonzalo – Girl next girl glam on steroids. I’ll admit to not knowing who she was a few days ago but I researched it and she’s had roles in quite a few movies. Just movies that mama doesn’t get out to see… Regardless, I interrupted someone (maybe her handler or PR rep?) who was explaining that this Argentine actress is revered overseas now because landing a starring role in DALLAS was considered her coming of age part. If you’re cast in DALLAS, you’ve just achieved international acclaim. I forget how iconic this show has been, a true fabric of our country. I remember traveling in England after high school and the random train conductor kept calling us “fil-um” stars from Dallas. I corrected him once saying, “No, I’m from Ohio…” and then the lightbulb went on. Duh.
And Larry Hagman. Larry, Larry Larry.
He’s had some health issues, battling cancer for real himself but is as lovable as you can imagine. He refrained from shaking hands and exchaging germs with anyone, but offered up a fist bump to everyone who extended a greeting.
The hubs made him crack up in this photo by saying, “Now Larry, don’t be offended.” He had Larry’s attention. “But my favorite has always been I Dream of Jeannie.”
Sadly, one very special request was left unmet from the evening. During our earlier shoe quest and mani/pedi excursion, the Princess Cupcake had been formulating this party thing in her head:
“Mama, this is a fancy party where kids don’t go?”
“Can I go when I get older?”
“Can you bring me a present from the party?” (I explained it wasn’t the kind of party where they gave presents) “Can you bring me a cookie?”
Wolfgang let the Cupcake down. There were no cookies for me to smuggle home in my clutch. Just some great photos that one day hopefully the Cupcake will appreciate because Mama and Daddy got to meet and greet with the stars of DALLAS.
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