Will Smith in Cleveland

[Ale]

Fans brave cold for Smith

Cleveland is stop on 5-city movie tour

By Rich Heldenfels

Beacon Journal popular culture writer

Hundreds of people braved snow, cold and slick roads Thursday afternoon and evening for a close-up look at movie star Will Smith.

Smith came to Northeast Ohio to promote his new movie, Seven Pounds. Opening Dec. 19, the movie stars Smith as a man who decides to help seven strangers after tragedy strikes his own life.

In keeping with that theme, Smith talked about helping others. And he used a red-carpet event and screening at Cinemark Valley View as a fundraiser for the Cleveland Food Bank. People were asked to bring nonperishable food items to the theater, and Smith himself donated 200 turkeys to the food bank.

The event included sundry proclamations, among them one making it Will Smith Day in Cleveland on Thursday. WKYC (Channel 3) anchor Romona Robinson took time off from the station's early-evening newscast to introduce Smith to the crowd. LeBron James was one of the local celebrities attending the screening, moving relatively quietly in Smith's wake — until Smith saw James and greeted him with a big smile and a hug.

Then there were the fans like Muriel Tillman of Akron, who came to the event with her daughter, Adana.

Muriel hoped Smith would autograph a sock doll whose protruding ears reminded her of Smith's. She did not get an autograph, but she and Adana did get a picture with Smith.

As he walked the red carpet, talking to local media representatives on one side and fans on the other, Smith often took fans' cameras, held them at arm's length and posed with them for the shot he snapped.

Some of the fans waited long hours for a chance to see him.

Gabby Taylor of Cleveland had arrived at 11:15 a.m. Thursday, though the event was not scheduled to begin until 4 p.m. and Smith was not expected until after 6.

Asked why, she said, ''It's Will Smith. He's beautiful.'' Pointing to a Seven Pounds poster with Smith's image in the middle, she added, ''Do I have to unroll that poster for you?''

But she and others also praised his intelligence, his movies and his good works.

All that made the trip through the snow bearable. Still, Smith himself was a bit surprised by the weather. While he grew up in sometimes-snowy Philadelphia, he has been softened somewhat by life in Hollywood.

''I've definitely been re-sensitized to cold,'' he said with a chuckle Thursday morning during a chat with reporters in the InterContinental Hotel in Cleveland.

He chose Cleveland as one of the stops on a five-city promotional tour in part because Smith has fond memories of playing there with DJ Jazzy Jeff when Smith was better known as the Fresh Prince.

But when he was looking at possible cities, Smith said, ''I didn't notice the 25 degrees.''

His voice was a bit raspy from visits to schools: ''We've been screaming with and over the kids.''

Another factor was the success his movies have had in Northeast Ohio, he said, and he wanted at least one location that was somewhat northeast, because of his Philly roots. Other cities on the tour were Miami, Dallas, St. Louis and Denver.

He also wanted to get back in touch with people.

On the day before the election of Barack Obama, he said, ''I was nervous. Wasn't certain at all that Barack could win. Then, when it was a landslide, I realized that I was out of touch. Like, I really didn't know what people were thinking and really didn't know what people were feeling.''

Smith said his three children were much more in tune with the mood of the people. ''I was crying,'' he said. ''They had no idea why it was such a big deal for me. Because it was a possibility for them. . . . I remember my 15-year-old [Trey, now 16] . . . was, like, 'Dude, relax.' ''

Smith's children are also as keen as Smith is about helping others. For his 16th birthday, Trey's friends brought gifts to take to children's hospitals.

''Our Christmas this year, our family is not doing internal giving,'' he said. ''All external. So we're giving to others, so in [wife] Jada's name, I'll give to a charity or something like that. And that's almost bubbling from the kids. It's not like something that we have to say to them.''

http://www.ohio.com/lifestyle/34861014.html

More pictures here!

http://www.ohio.com/multimedia/photo_galle...toryID=34861014

[Ale]

Will Smith's whirlwind day in Cleveland culminates with movie premiere

by Clint O'Connor/Plain Dealer Film Critic

Gallery: Gallery: Will Smith visits Northeast Ohio

Actor Will Smith surprised 150 students at Open Doors Academy before he walked the red carpet with LeBron James.

http://photos.cleveland.com/gallery/4501/W...ortheast%20Ohio

Will Smith and LeBron James

Will Smith stretches on his tip toes but still falls short of LeBron James' height as he entertains the crowd during a red carpet event in front of the Cinemark Valley View 24 Thursday, November 20, 2008.

Will Smith's surprise visit

Actor Will Smith hugs a young girl who is in tears after seeing him Thursday, November 20, 2008 in Cleveland Heights. He met with about 150 10-13 year olds in this after school enrichment program called Open Doors Academy inside St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

Will Smith put in a good 12-hour day in Greater Cleveland Thursday. In the midst of a five-city tour promoting his new film, "Seven Pounds," Smith was greeted by an array of hugs, handshakes, cell-phone snappers, and "you're-really-an-inspiration" moments from starstruck fans.

"We've never done it this way before, we usually only do New York and L.A.," said Smith. "This is more like the old school music tours. Different clubs, different cities, meeting people. You get in touch with what people are feeling and thinking and it's much more personal when you're actually out shaking hands."

The actor-rapper-humanitarian carried his considerable charisma around town in a huge bus emblazoned with his face and the film's title. "Seven Pounds," a drama about a man who suffers a tragedy then helps seven strangers, opens nationwide Dec. 19th. His whirlwind day included making the radio rounds, visiting the Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital, meeting with students at Ginn Academy, Case Elementary School, and Open Doors Academy in Cleveland Heights, and sitting down for an interview.

On the election of Barack Obama: "It's the completion of the cycle of Africa-American citizenship in America. There's always been a sort of quiet, mostly unspoken debate in the African-American community of our citizenship. On November 4th, 2008, the question was gone. We are no longer African-Americans. We are Americans of African descent."

On what it means for black folks: "I've met with black leaders throughout the country, spiritual leaders, political leaders, teachers and scholars, and there really is a huge collective pause. The consensus is: 'OK, everybody be quiet. Nobody say nothin'!' It's a different world and everybody is speaking from a different perspective now."

On what gives him the bigger thrill, movies or rapping: "Nothing's more fun than being on stage with music. That is the biggest emotional narcotic. When you get in sync with a crowd, everybody doing things on beat and in unison, there's no experience like that."

His hectic visit culminated Thursday night with a red carpet premiere at Cinemark 24 in Valley View, where Smith donated 200 turkeys to the Cleveland Food Bank and mugged for the cameras with local celebrities such as LeBron James. Cleveland was his fourth stop, following Miami, St. Louis, and Dallas. After introducing "Seven Pounds" at Valley View, he headed to the airport to fly to Denver.

Smith, who recently turned 40, said he's at a point in his life where he doesn't want to do anything without a purpose.

His recent films reflect that. "I was onto it in 'Pursuit of Happyness,' 'I am Legend,' and even 'Hancock,' " he said. All those characters emerged from a trauma to help others. It points to his strong belief in the cycle of birth-life-death-rebirth.

"We're all going to face that literal or figurative death some time," said Smith. "You're going to lose your job, you're going to lose your house, or get divorced. And you're going to have to prepare yourself for the rebirth. How did Nelson Mandela smile after 27 years of being falsely imprisoned? It's purpose. Purpose is the place to go to make life bearable. It's where to live."

Heavy stuff.

"I'll do a comedy next, man. I promise."

Video

http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/ind...d_day_in_c.html

Smith is smart and thoughtful, often veering into the philosophical. He discussed a wide range of topics, sometimes completely sure of himself and his ideas, other times still working through the theories, as if testing the notes of a new song by sounding them out loud.

Edited November 21, 2008 by Ale

[Ale]

Some videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aYcKxstmfc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvy1CgLwE4M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDdJnJn0bO0

[Ale]

"Will Promotes '7 Pounds' In Cold Cleveland"

Will Smith is currently on a bus tour around the United States to promote his new movie, 7 lbs. The movie is not being released to the theaters until December 19 but Will is doing his part to visit as many cities as he can before then.

I was able to see Will at a local radio station this morning where he was discussing the film and promoting the big movie premiere tonight. It is not often that we get movie premieres here in Cleveland but Will Smith will be walking the red carpet tonight at 6:00pm at the Cinemark Valley View Theater.

Will is also doing his part to help the community as tickets for the event will be distributed to those people that donate a non-perishable food item.

Will arrived in a tour bus covered in advertisement for the 7 lbs movie. He stated on the radio that he was touring various citites because "The United States is more than just New York and L.A."

Keep an eye out as he should be making many more stops for this tour. He has already visited Dallas, Miami, Denver, St. Louis and Cleveland.

More pics here :

http://www.meetthefamous.com/photos-videos....php?story=3035

Edited November 22, 2008 by Ale

[Ale]

Video & Pictures

http://stlouis.metromix.com/

http://stlouis.metromix.com/events/photoga...ontent?photo=23

Edited November 22, 2008 by Ale