Movie Junkets - Tim Nasson

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"Movie Junkets" - Exposed
Hollywood "Movie junket" Trade Secrets Revealed*
by Wild About Movies Publisher
Tim Nasson
Updated August 27, 2007

Dreamgirls Junket Interviews

Note: The company outsourced by the faltering Paramount/Dreamworks studio, to produce the Generic Junket Tapes, couldn't even spell the name of Dreamworks correctly.

8-27-07 Update: A snide remark from an even snider 'alleged' movie critic, quoted on his virtually dust collecting website, "(Nasson's) next revelation about the junket business goes like this: Worst of all, sometimes the studios send press who had not been invited to a junket tapes from the junket and instruct the writer to use the tapes (generics, as they are called in the trade), after transcribing them, as if he or she were at the junket personally. Warner Bros., Dreamworks and Paramount are current three studios most repsonsible for this reprehensible practice. I’m still not convinced this is a practice. What IS common, I know, is that junketeers who were present will give or sell transcripts to people who weren’t." (Quoted by EDS - initials of someone we will not give the time of day to).

According to the photos we provide, it is evident that "Generic Junket Tapes" are sent out to most, if not all features writers, including those not invited to junkets - in order for them to write a feature, with quotes from the film's talent, as if they, themselves, were at the junket. This HAS BEEN, IS and presumably WILL BE an ongoing practice by all studios. Therefore, if you see the same quotes from an actor in ten separate 'exclusive' interviews - you know where they came from.

Man Of The Year Junket Tape

"Movie Junkets" Exposed

As many of you, the most astute movie lovers and movie fans, are aware, movie stars sit with select members of the press at "movie junkets" in (usually) Los Angeles or NYC, a week or so before the movie they are touting is about to hit theaters.

The television press and print and online press are divided into two separate groups by the movie studios who set up each junket. Television entertainment reporters are allowed about 4-6 minutes to interview each of the film's talent attending the junket - separately, on the day set aside during the junket weekend, for TV interviews.***

The other day is set aside by the studio for PRINT AND ONLINE interviews.

While some websites and newspapers would have you believe they are bringing you an 'exclusive' interview with an actor or director, the fact is, that 99.9999% of the interviews you read in any newspaper, (including major dailies such as The Boston Herald, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Virginia Pilot, all Canadian dailies), or on any website, are from ROUNDTABLE interviews at "movie junkets".

Simply put, for the most part, up to twenty print and online journalists are crowded into 5-8 rooms on the second floor of The Four Seasons Hotel at Beverly Hills - if that is the hotel, and it most always is in Los Angeles, where the junket is taking place. The cramped journalists, with pen and notebook in hand, tape recorder on the roundtable, positioned at the seat where the talent will sit, stay put for up to four hours, while most of the talent from one movie, (example, Hairspray The Movie), rotate between rooms, giving each room, with up to 20 journalists in it, 15-20 minutes to ask questions.

If you're lucky, you'll get two questions in. However, every journalist in the room, (including us, we admit), write up the interviews as if we were the only ones in the room and as if all questions asked were asked by us, and that all questions answered were directed to us, specifically. The studios are all aware of this and couldn't be happier to have the interviews in print. Of course, with more Print and Online press attending each junket than TV press, it would be impossible to allot each Print and Online press representative at each junket even 10 minutes with talent, being that there are usually well over 100 Print and Online reporters at each "movie junkets", compared to 20 or less TV entertainment reporters.

A TV Junket Secret Revealed

Sometimes, quite often, to be honest, the actual television entertainment reporter in a certain market will send his or her producer to the junket, instead, who will ask the questions off camera, and the television personality will edit the tape, with their voice asking the questions, to make it appear as if they were actually at the "movie junkets" asking the questions. (In fact, the entertainment reporter in Boston, who has been at her job for more than thirty years, is the biggest offender of this practice. But since she is a friend of ours, we will not name names.)

Worst of all, sometimes the studios send press who had not been invited to a junket tapes from the junket and instruct the writer to use the tapes (generics, as they are called in the trade), after transcribing them, as if he or she were at the junket personally. Warner Bros., Dreamworks and Paramount are currently three studios most repsonsible for this devious practice.

And, finally, many lazy websites can't even take the time to create a story based on the day they spent with the talent - they just cut and paste the transcribed interview from the roundtable and post it on their site, without any background information about the actor or director.

That being said, enjoy all of our and our competitors' celebrity interviews. They are not as glamorous as they are made out to be!

The Hollywood Junket Round-Trip

So you think spending time at The Four Seasons at Beverly Hills, courtesy of a movie studio, replete with $125 per day per hotel expense per diem, roundtrip airfare, travel expenses to and from both home and visiting airports, and other incidental expenses are something to covet? Well, think again, especially if you're attending 20 or more "movie junkets" per year - traveling from Boston to Los Angeles.

Why are they not so glamorous?

Diary Of A Recent Junket

Friday - Wake up at 5:45 AM

--------- Leave For Logan Airport 6:30 AM

--------- Arrive At Logan Airport 6:45 AM

--------- Paperless ticket in hand, glide through First Class* security and arrive at American Airlines Admirals Club at 6:55 AM

--------- Grab a coffee to go, a mini muffin, say goodbye to Admirals Club employees, rush off to board Flight 25 at 7:15 AM

--------- Flight 25, if on time, takes off at 7:45 AM

--------- Arrive at LAX, if plane is on time, around 11:00 AM

--------- Grab taxi at curbside at 11:15 AM

--------- Arrive at Four Seasons Hotel at 11:45 AM

--------- Check into room at Four Seasons Hotel, shower, change, at Noon

--------- Check emails, do catch up work until 12:30 PM

--------- Go to hotel pool for lunch and maybe a quick dip 2:00 PM

--------- Back at hotel room, checking e-mails, phone calls 3:30 PM

--------- Take a nap 4:00 PM

--------- Arrive in hotel lobby to go to screening at 5:30 PM

--------- Arrive at theater for screening 6:15 PM

--------- Screening starts 7:15 PM

--------- Reboard shuttle bus to Four Seasons Hotel from screening 9:30 PM

--------- Arrive at hotel 9:45 PM

--------- Go to hotel bar for a quick dinner 10:00 PM

--------- Climb into world's most comfortable bed, watch TV 11:30 PM

--------- Fall asleep 1:30 AM

Saturday - Hotel Wake up call at 7:30 AM

------------- Shower, dress, check emails 7:45 AM

------------- Go down to the second floor to claim a chair at a roundtable room, preferably one next to which the talent will be sitting 8:15 AM

------------- Go movie studio's hospitality suite in room 1418 for breakfast at 8:20 AM

------------- Back down to second floor to wait for interviews which begin at 9:00 AM

------------- Six twenty minute interviews from 9:00 AM - NOON

------------- Go up to hotel hospitality suite for lunch 12:15 PM

------------- Go back to room to pack, check emails 12:45 PM

------------- Check out of hotel at 1:15 PM

------------- Get in cab for LAX at 1:20 PM

------------- Arrive at LAX 1:50 PM

------------- Breeze through First Class* security, with paperless ticket at 2:00 PM

------------- Enter LAX Admirals Club at 2:10 PM

------------- Grab a bottle of water, check BlackBerry, make a phone call or two, leave for gate at 2:45 PM

------------- Wait in queue for First Class boarding of flight 726 to Boston at 2:50

------------- Flight 726, if on time, takes off at 3:20 PM

------------- Flight 726 arrives, if on time, in Boston around 11:15 PM

------------- Grab a cab at Logan, curbside, 11:30 PM - since there is a line twenty people long

------------- Arrive home just shy of midnight

* First Class denotes my own upgrade since I am Executive Platinum. Movie studios only pay for coach tickets.

So, if you think the life of a junketeer, who must endure the above tedious itinerary more than 20 times per year, is as fab as it is cracked up to be, think and think again, especially if you're not a member of American Airline's elite status and would be sitting in coach - presumably in a middle seat in between two obese people who have not bathed in days, since they are probably connecting either from London in Boston or Australia in Los Angeles.

Additional Junket Secrets Revealed

A "movie junket" is a by-invitation only event where members of the media see an exclusive preview of a film, and meet with and interview its stars and other key talent. The invitation-only nature of the event carries with it the implication that a positive review is expected. It is a common (and controversial) practice for motion picture studios or distributors to provide free travel, entertainment and hospitality for the invitees. Authors then face the conflicting expectations of their audience and the studio. Some, accustomed to the studio-financed trips, have written so many positive reviews that they have been branded within the critical community as junket whores. Earl Dittman is the #1 junket whore, to date, according to Google.com searches. The 2001 film America's Sweethearts is centered around a movie junket.

Sony Pictures, one of the studios with the most vile publicity machines, headed by Wendy Lightbourn, is one of the only studios that has been caught committing a borderline if not blatant criminal act when it came to publicizing their movies. In 2000 and 2001 Sony marketers invented a fake critic, David Manning, purportedly employed by a real newspaper, then attached positive "blurbs" by this critic to Sony's A Knight's Tale, The Animal and Vertical Limit. Lawsuits ensued from moviegoers who felt duped by the studio.

The studio never apologized.

* Why this feature? Simple.

A 'one time junketeer,' whom will not be named, that attended a junket during the summer of 2006 in Seattle, WA, threatened to 'expose' Wild About Movies as a site publishing 'fake interviews.' While we will not be giving this sniveling creature's name any publicity, suffice it to say, every movie studio banned him not only from junkets, but also, press screenings because he wrote about the one junket he attended in such a way that he seemed to be a complete psychopath.

When some politicians, CEOS, celebrities, or sports players are threatened with blackmail, the best stance to take is - run out of the gate first and expose in full detail, anything that the person could try to fuck you over with.

That being said... during the past two decades, I have interviewed the following celebrities, (which can be found by Googling my name, Tim Nasson, at www.google.com), either at a press conference, roundtable, one-one-one in Los Angeles, NYC, London or myriad other cities, worldwide; or, in some cases, via telephone, the most recent, the thirty year old, happily married Jason Earles - who plays a fifteen year old, (of "Hannah Montana" fame), whose interview will go live later this week - and Brittany Curran!

Celebrity Interviews (A Very Select Number) Interviewed By Tim Nasson - in PERSON - During the Past Two Decades

Ben Affleck - "Good Will, Hunting," "Jay and Silent Bob," "Reindeer Games," Forces of Nature," "The Sum of All Fears," "Daredevil"

Robert Altman - "Cookie's Fortune," "A Prairie Home Companion"

Drew Barrymore - "Ever After," "Home Fries," "Never Been Kissed," "Riding In Cars With Boys," "Charlie's Angels"

Sandra Bullock - "28 Days," "Miss Congeliality"

Sacha Baron Cohen - "Borat"

Christian Campbell - "Trick," "Tick, Tick, Boom"

Helena Bonham Carter - "Wings of the Dove," "Theory of Flight," "Fight Club," "Novocaine," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"

Glenn Close - "The Stepford Wives"

Tom Cruise - "War of the Worlds," "The Firm"

John Cusack - "There's Something About Mary," "Pushing Tin," "Runaway Jury," "High Fidelity"

Matt Damon - "Good Will, Hunting," "The Talented Mr. Ripley," "The Bourne Movies - all three"

Johnny Depp - "Sleepy Hollow," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"

Cameron Diaz - "There's Something About Mary," "Being John Malkovich," "Very Bad Things," "Charlie's Angels"

Colin Farrell - "Alexander"

James Gandolfini - "The Mexican"

Kathy Griffin - "My Life On The D-List"

Goldie Hawn - "Housesitter"

Mick Jagger - "Alfie"

Angelina Jolie - "Lara Croft," "Girl, Interrupted," "Pushing Tin," "Skycaptain And The World of Tomorrow," "Alexander"

Nicole Kidman - "Practical Magic," "Cold Mountain," "The Stepford Wives," "The Hours"

Jude Law - "Midnight In The Garden of Good And Evil," "Talented Mr. Ripley," "Cold Mountain," "Alfie," Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow,"

Madonna - "Evita"

Steve Martin - "Housesitter"

Matthew McConaughey - "The Newton Boys," "Wedding Planner," "How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days," "Sahara," "Failure To Launch"

Patricia Neal - "Cookie's Fortune"

Edward Norton - "Fight Club"

Ryan Phillippe - "Cruel Intentions," "Flags of Our Fathers"

Joaquin Phoenix - "Ladder 49," "Walk The Line"

Brad Pitt - "The Mexican," "The Fight Club," "Troy"

Keanu Reeves - "The Matrix" Movies

Julia Roberts - "The Mexican," "Runaway Bride," "Erin Brokovich"

The Rock - On Set interview, "The Game Plan"

Chris O'Donnell - "The Chamber," "Cookie's Fortune," "Vertical Limit"

Adam Sandler - "Happy Gilmore"

Arnold Schwarzenegger - "The 6th Day"

Meryl Streep - "Music of the Heart, " "The Hours," "A Prairie Home Companion"

John Travolta - "A Civil Action," "Lucky Numbers," "Ladder 49," "Wild Hogs," "Hairspray The Movie"

Channing Tatum - "Coach Carter," "She's The Man"

Liv Tyler - "Cookie's Fortune"

Betty White - "The Golden Girls"

Reese Witherspoon - "Cruel Intentions," "Legally Blonde," "Walk The Line"

Movie junket photo

*** Editor's note: The Boston TV entertainment reporter we passingly refer to no longer accepts junket invitations - per orders of her network - and the producer we were referring to no longer is employed at that TV station.

2008 Movies_2009 Movies

In The Spotlight!

"2008 Movies" & "2009 Movies" & "2010 Movies"
Movie Poster Premiere
"The Surrogates"
By Tim Nasson
Publisher, Wild About Movies

Wild About Movies provides you with the most comprehensive movie posters, movie trailers, movie synopses, Behind The Scenes of movies, and celebrity interviews, and current, updated movie release date information - than any other movie website. At WAM you are able to peruse the movie trailers, movie posters and movie synopses of more than 500 movies not yet in theaters (and thousands of movies formerly in movie theaters and currently on DVD, including all "2009 DVDS" and "2009 BluRays"). The latest additions to the Wild About Movies database: The movies "Nine," "9" and "District 9." (Imagine the look on the movie box office attendant's face when all three movies are at the same local multiplex later this year). The end of the world spectacular, special effects laden movies "The Last Airbender" and "2012." And Willem Dafoe in "Antichrist." Sylvester Stallone in front of and behind the camera in "The Expendables." The Ang Lee movie "Taking Woodstock" and Amy Adams and Meryl Streep as "Julie & Julia." And "Mary & Max" and "Pippa Lee." "Lovely Still" - featuring Martin Landau & Ellen Burstyn. Matt Damon in the Paul Greengrass movie "Green Zone." And John C. Reilly in "Cirque Du Freak." Jake Gyllenhaal as "Prince of Persia: Sands Of Time" and Rose McGowan as "Red Sonja 2010." Gerard Butler in three movies; "Gamer" and "Law Abiding Citizen" and opposite Katherine Heigl in "The Ugly Truth." And Rob Zombie's "Tyrannosaurus Rex." And Seth Rogen is "The Green Hornet." "Witchblade 2010," as well as "Fame 2009." And Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor as lovers in the long delayed "I Love You Phillip Morris." Sequels: Everything from Daniel Radcliffe naked not in "Harry Potter 6," but Daniel Radcliffe naked at WAM. The Disney 3D films "Cars 2" and "Toy Story 3." Michael Douglas in "Wall Street 2." And the requisites, "Final Destination 4" and "Saw 6," and "Cloverfield 2" and "Iron Man 2." Need more movies? "Planet 51" and Channing Tatum in "GI Joe The Movie." And the big screen adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" - finally with a release date in October 2009. Also, "Precious" and Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio's next collaboration, "Shutter Island." In addition, Sacha Baron Cohen is the hilarious, gay "Bruno." Brad Pitt in "Inglorious Bastards." The big screen adaptation of Maurice Sendack's "Where The Wild Things Are" and "Watch Out" and "The Escapist." - More? Sure! Peter Jackson's "The Lovely Bones" and "The Hobbit Movies." And Kenneth Branagh's "Thor." And the 3D movies "Aliens In The Attic" and "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs." Also "The Smurfs Movie;" and "AstroBoy." The big screen version of Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" and Ben Stiller's "Chicago 7." And a slew of animated and non animated Walt Disney movies, many in 3D: including "Fraggle Rock: The Movie" and "The King of the Elves" and "Rapunzel," "The Bear and the Bow;" "Newt," "The Princess And The Frog," "Ponyo" and Heath Ledger's final movie, "Dr. Parnassus." The four Jonas Brothers in the big screen adaptation of "Walter The Farting Dog" and Wesley Snipes in "Gallowwalker!" Also: Zac Efron in "Me And Orson Welles." Also, Chace Crawford in "Footloose 2010," and "Pope Joan." Benicio Del Toro as "The Wolfman." And James ("Titanic") Cameron's "Avatar;" "The Bad Lieutenant" and Hilary Swank in "Amelia." Robert Downey Jr. as "Sherlock Holmes." In addition, the sequels to "Twilight," (the movies in the "Twilight" film franchise), "Eclipse" and "New Moon," all starring Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. And Diablo Cody in "Jennifer's Body," which she also wrote. In addition, "Saw 6," "Final Destination 4" and "Captain America." And check out all of the "2008 Movies" that were released in movie theaters. We also bring you "2010 Oscars" pre-coverage - and the movie trailers and movie posters of all "2009 Movies" & "2010 Movies" in theaters, including today's IN THE SPOTLIGHT - "The Surrogates"... (continue)