Thursday, August 03, 2006
'WTC" debut a no-glitz zone
Survivors to attend
BY PAUL D. COLFORDDAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
"World Trade Center" will have its red-carpet premiere tonight at the Ziegfeld Theater, but celebration will be kept to a minimum.
In one striking departure, there will be no gala reception afterward.
That's because the audience will include not just the film's stars and handlers, but also survivors of the terror attacks and others shattered by the loss of loved ones.
"It seemed inappropriate to do something festive," said Michael Shamberg, one of the film's producers.
"While the film celebrates the best in people, the night will be low-key," he added.
"I'll have to steel myself before going," said Charles Wolf, whose wife, Katherine, worked in the WTC's north tower.
"This is a movie, and I know how it turns out," he added. "But I'm going to go steeled, to protect myself from an emotional crush."
Gov. Pataki, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly are also due to attend, along with those Shamberg called "our most honored guests" - the 50 cops, firefighters and other responders who worked on the film.
"World Trade Center," directed by Oliver Stone, recounts the ordeal of Port Authority cops John McLoughlin and Will Jimeno. They were buried under rubble until rescuers risked their own lives to free them.
In marketing the hard-hitting film, which opens nationwide next Wednesday, Paramount has been using many of those portrayed on screen - and is heavily targeting young viewers.
At a recent screening, Shamberg recalled, one young man said, "This [9/11] is like our Kennedy assassination."
A half-hour show with Stone, co-stars Nicolas Cage and Michael Pena, as well as Jimeno, has been running on MTV.
And a TV commercial for the film features "Fix You," a popular tune by the rock band Coldplay that's not on the soundtrack.
The film's official Web site, wtcmovie.com, and Paramount's promotional page on myspace.com feature interviews with 18 people close to what happened.
They include the wives of the two main characters, Donna McLoughlin and Allison Jimeno, and uniformed responders to the WTC attacks.
Michael Fleming, veteran Hollywood watcher with Daily Variety, said he couldn't predict how "World Trade Center" will do at the box office.
"The big challenge for Paramount is to get people to want to replay such a horrible day," he said.
BY PAUL D. COLFORDDAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
"World Trade Center" will have its red-carpet premiere tonight at the Ziegfeld Theater, but celebration will be kept to a minimum.
In one striking departure, there will be no gala reception afterward.
That's because the audience will include not just the film's stars and handlers, but also survivors of the terror attacks and others shattered by the loss of loved ones.
"It seemed inappropriate to do something festive," said Michael Shamberg, one of the film's producers.
"While the film celebrates the best in people, the night will be low-key," he added.
"I'll have to steel myself before going," said Charles Wolf, whose wife, Katherine, worked in the WTC's north tower.
"This is a movie, and I know how it turns out," he added. "But I'm going to go steeled, to protect myself from an emotional crush."
Gov. Pataki, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly are also due to attend, along with those Shamberg called "our most honored guests" - the 50 cops, firefighters and other responders who worked on the film.
"World Trade Center," directed by Oliver Stone, recounts the ordeal of Port Authority cops John McLoughlin and Will Jimeno. They were buried under rubble until rescuers risked their own lives to free them.
In marketing the hard-hitting film, which opens nationwide next Wednesday, Paramount has been using many of those portrayed on screen - and is heavily targeting young viewers.
At a recent screening, Shamberg recalled, one young man said, "This [9/11] is like our Kennedy assassination."
A half-hour show with Stone, co-stars Nicolas Cage and Michael Pena, as well as Jimeno, has been running on MTV.
And a TV commercial for the film features "Fix You," a popular tune by the rock band Coldplay that's not on the soundtrack.
The film's official Web site, wtcmovie.com, and Paramount's promotional page on myspace.com feature interviews with 18 people close to what happened.
They include the wives of the two main characters, Donna McLoughlin and Allison Jimeno, and uniformed responders to the WTC attacks.
Michael Fleming, veteran Hollywood watcher with Daily Variety, said he couldn't predict how "World Trade Center" will do at the box office.
"The big challenge for Paramount is to get people to want to replay such a horrible day," he said.
# posted by "Faces of the Brave" @ 6:51 PM 
