Ale Posted December 13, 2008 Report Share Posted December 13, 2008 Actor Will Smith dabs his eyes in the cold air Friday night as he makes his way through the parking lot at the AMC Southdale 16 theater complex in Edina. Smith, the star of "Seven Pounds," was attending the movie's premiere, where he donated 300 holiday turkeys to Second Harvest Heartland, the Upper Midwest's largest hunger-relief organization. Also on hand was Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Bernard Berrian, who pledged last week to donate up to $10,000 to Second Harvest Heartland and joined Smith in challenging the community to help those in need. "Seven Pounds" opens everywhere next Friday. Pictures here! http://www.twincities.com/news/ci_11222113?source=rss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ale Posted December 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2008 Twin Cities gets blast of Will (Smith) power A charming, jovial Will Smith met fans and made charity visits on a tour stop for his new movie. VIDEO! http://www.startribune.com/video/36092859....Unc5PDiUiacyKUU "Just think of me as a big shrimp cocktail," Will Smith said with his megawatt smile. "A nice appetizer before the main course." Hundreds of Twin Cities fans certainly found Smith delectable on Friday. Posing for cell phone snapshots, exchanging hugs and high-fives with cheering fans, the world's biggest movie star hit the Twin Cities like a juggernaut, combining interviews, private visits at schools and hospitals, and a red-carpet local premiere to whip up an appetite for his film "Seven Pounds," which opens nationwide next weekend. It's unusual for stars of his stature to move outside the New York-Los Angeles axis, let alone cruise Midwest streets in a motor coach emblazoned with their face, as Smith did. But as recent visits to Minnesota by George Clooney, Jerry Seinfeld and the stars of "Twilight" suggest, the changing media environment presents special challenges. Declining revenues for "old media" -- print, TV, radio -- means that fewer journalists can travel to publicity junkets on the coasts, so some stars are personally bringing their wares to the public, as makers of low-budget films long have done. "It's highly unusual," said Jeff Bock, a film-industry analyst for Los Angeles-based Exhibitor Relations. "I don't think the biggest box-office star in the world necessarily has to do a bus tour to promote his film. [but distributor] Sony has a pretty tough sell on their hands." With Smith playing a suicidal man determined to change the lives of several strangers, the drama "isn't your typical Hollywood or blockbuster film," Bock said. Barnstorming the nation also gave the actor something he said he craves: A sense of reconnection with the people who gave him his success. In an interview, Smith recalled when he realized he had drifted out of contact with everyday people: "On Nov. 4, I sat there with my children and my 16-year-old son couldn't understand how I didn't know [the election] was over already. He was like, 'You're out of touch.' http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/m...iD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ale Posted December 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2008 More pics: http://www.gettyimages.com/Search/Search.a...mp;src=standard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bart5 Posted December 13, 2008 Report Share Posted December 13, 2008 Ahh crap...I had to move from MN to FL...haha. My sister called me up and told me he was back in my hometown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Posted December 13, 2008 Report Share Posted December 13, 2008 Thanks Ale! When I saw the 1st pic I was like' why is he crying?' hehe I can't stand cold air or sun either, I start crying too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bart5 Posted December 13, 2008 Report Share Posted December 13, 2008 Thanks Ale! When I saw the 1st pic I was like' why is he crying?' hehe I can't stand cold air or sun either, I start crying too. haha MN is known for its winters...now that I'm in FL its funny to see people "freezing" at like 50-60 degrees haha. As much as I love warm weather, I miss the snow, skiing and snowball fights, just how I grew up and all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ale Posted December 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2008 Will Smith teaches Bernard Berrian Touchdown Dance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBOmeUb9-KM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turntable Posted December 14, 2008 Report Share Posted December 14, 2008 Thanks Ale! When I saw the 1st pic I was like' why is he crying?' hehe I can't stand cold air or sun either, I start crying too. haha MN is known for its winters...now that I'm in FL its funny to see people "freezing" at like 50-60 degrees haha. As much as I love warm weather, I miss the snow, skiing and snowball fights, just how I grew up and all. word. thats why i miss zwitserland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.