The DreamWorks premiere of The Ring was on October 2nd, 2002 at the Pacific Grove Theater in Hollywood, and your humble webmaster had the rare opportunity to fly out to attend. What follows is a skewed, one-sided account of that evening in the land of lowfat yogurt, fried plantain chips with guacamole, and banana-yellow Hummers that is Los Angeles.

I'd never been to a premiere before, and so didn't

really know what to expect. The whole thing was sort of surreal as everyone stood around the theater (a modern affair tucked away behind a parking garage and standing directly opposite a 24-hour fitness center) and chatted amicably as if this sort of thing went on all the time. There were lots of folks I didn't recognize, and a lot more who seemed to recognize each other. Dark clothing was apparently the order of the day, as more than three quarters of the people in attendance were dressed in black, leather, or black leather. I felt somewhat conspicuous standing there in my suit (which actually got more than a few comments).

The red carpet was there, of course, as was a row of spotlights and several camera crews. They'd stand around looking dejected until a celebrity came walking up and then suddenly spring into action. For these people, it's apparently par the course to hoot, holler, and do whatever it takes to cajole your target into looking at the camera. Case-in-point: the arrival of Naomi Watts.

All hell broke loose. The sound grew deafening as feet shuffled and shutters clicked. Naomi! a chorus began screaming. To your right, your right!! A Japanese crew was there too, and their barrel-chested cameraman began throwing his voice into the mix. Naomi! he bellowed. Naomi!! Can you hear me, Naomi?!?

As luck would have it, I happened to be in exactly the wrong place at the right time. Hemmed in on one side by the ropes leading into the theater and on the other by hordes of rabid photographers, the best I could manage was this shot of Naomi's back. Sigh.

After Naomi disappeared things returned to normal and the crowd went back to milling. It was getting about time for us to go into the theater when I happened to glance behind me and notice that somehow a celebrity had slipped past most of the photographers. She'd gotten about halfway into the building before being stopped by a camera crew, and was currently smiling and speaking into a microphone. It was Daveigh.

I have no idea where she came from or how she managed to walk right by us, but there was no way I was leaving without snapping a photo of Samara.

"I'm sorry, do you mind if I take your picture?" I asked.

"Sure!" she replied, flashing a killer smile. I raised my camera, pushed the button...and immediately heard the sound of the film beginning to rewind. I started getting a little freaked out: before taking the photo I'd checked the digital readout, which had assured me I had 16 exposures left. What have you done, little Sadako?! I thought to myself.

I apologized and Daveigh smiled before walking into the theater. It was getting about time for us to go in as well.

The theater was large but not overly so. Many of the seats were taped up with RESERVED signs. We settled into some (non-reserved) seats of our own and had just begun to chat excitedly about the film when we heard a voice from behind us.

"Excuse me, he's in the film" someone said. Turning around, I saw David Dorfman (Aidan) being led by his mother. It looked like someone had tried to take his seat. I ogled him a bit, then craned my neck to see if I could spot some of the other stars. Naomi was wearing a sort of violet dress that made her pretty easy to spot: she was seated about five rows down and to the right.

As it turns out, The Ring was chosen to kick off the Hollywood Film Festival. Carlos de Abreu, executive director for the festival, got up and spoke about how excited he was about the film's premiere, followed by a few words from DreamWorks producer Walter Parkes. I was starting to get excited myself. In a way, this evening represented what I'd been working toward since sitting down on the floor of my apartment in Kobe, Japan and beginning what would later become this very website: recognition. Recognition for  the Ring and for the amazingly talented staff behind its creation. If it took an American remake to bring this story into the national consciousness, then so be it.

The lights dimmed, and a moment later the DreamWorks logo filled the screen. I spent most of the film picking it apart with a very critical eye. Having seen the Japanese Ring somewhere around 30 times, I was keenly aware of the tiniest deviation from the story, and often found myself questioning what exactly I was seeing. At other times I could feel the hairs stand up on the back of my neck as (intentionally or otherwise) the remake hit upon themes from the Japanese originals. Seeing Samara's "quarters" in the barn was a keen reminder of Ring Ø. Seeing Noah drop a stone into the well sent shivers up my spine as I recalled Nagao Jotaro of the novels, still in shock after having violated Sadako, dropping rocks and dirt into the well in an attempt to hide Sadako's body. What really did it for me, though, was the ending. Even knowing what was coming I was blown away by digital Samara. I can only imagine what those who had no idea what to expect were thinking.

When the credits came up everyone began to applaud. The lights snapped on, and people began to file out (Naomi was already long gone). The real gauge of what people think of a movie is the post-movie chatter, and even the jaded, leather pants-wearing and perfectly hairsprayed Hollywood crowd were freaked out by The Ring.

The crowd ebbed slowly out into the hallway. I was standing there going over the film again in my mind when with a start I realized that the well-dressed gentleman standing just a few feet away from me was none other than Martin Landau. Martin frickin' Landau! I would've loved to have said a few words to him, but chicken that I am, I settled for just getting excited that he was actually there.

The next thing I know I'm being introduced to a very friendly man who said how nice it was to meet me. It was Gore Verbinski, director of the remake. We chatted a bit, then he threw his arm around me when I asked for a photo. The picture you see here was taken by a DreamWorks exec who joked that she hoped the picture didn't "turn out blurry." As you can see, it did.

After the premiere was the cocktail party, again an invitation-only affair. Luckily, I just happened to have one on hand. I walked upstairs to the cocktail lounge, where I immediately began getting acquainted with my good friend Samuel Adams. Looking around, I noticed that a lot more celebrities seemed to be in attendance here than at the actual premiere. Martin Landau was still there. Reese Witherspoon was there as well, which surprised me on a few different levels. Not only had I not pegged her for the horror type, but it was strange to see her standing there just looking...normal.

Matthew Lillard (Scooby Doo) was there, too. He was the easiest to spot: he spoke very animatedly, and had a small group of people standing around him. Ehren Kruger (who wrote the initial draft of The Ring) was supposed to be there as well, but I never found him. Which was a good thing for him, as I would have engaged him in endless debate.

Surprisingly, David Dorfman was there as well. I really wish I could've snapped a photo of him, but he was an expert at slipping his way through the crowds. And I'll tell you something else -- he had everyone at the party stopping in their tracks. Dorfman may have come across onscreen as a wide-eyed and sort of creepy kid, but in person he is just about the tiniest, cutest little thing you've ever seen. He had people literally breaking into smiles just by standing there.

Another thing that surprised me was how many people knew about this site! I was chauffeured around most of the night by Colin Sutton, a fantastic guy who worked for the company that had done promotion for the movie, and who had managed to get me tickets to the premiere. Each time he'd introduce me to someone it would be as "the ringworld guy," at which point the other person's face would light up and they'd go, "Ringworld? That's a great site!" It was an intensely gratifying experience.

And speaking of gratifying, I finally got a chance to speak a little with Daveigh.

When she first arrived at the party Daveigh was surrounded by a group of people plying her with questions, but a couple hours later she was sitting quietly at one of the tables with someone I later learned was her mother. I asked Daveigh if I could get that picture now, and she immediately stood up and flashed me her trademark smile. She's already learned how to pose for the camera, I thought to myself.

We talked for a bit, and to be honest I don't think she quite knew what to make of yours truly. But she was a good sport about it, and I appreciated the gesture. The whole time we were talking, her mother continued to peer curiously over at me. I explained that I was here because I owned a website that had helped in some fashion to promote the film.

"Oh, ringworld?" her mother inquired.

Life is good.

So there you have it, one man's take on the transplanting of the Ring to American shores. Thank you all for taking the time to read it.

In closing I'd like to give a special thanks to the many fans who continue to visit this site, and who contribute to its online community.

Best,

J Lopez
webmaster