2007 Rolling Roadshow Tour: second assault

Hard work is its own reward. And other rewards include sunburn, bruising, exhaustion and missing skin. But the crew of the 2007 Rolling Roadshow Tour agree that any degree of physical damage is little price to pay when bringing unbridled entertainment to our glorious nation.

We've had two more shows since the last RRS2007 posting. The first was the beloved, Wahlberg-legitimizing BOOGIE NIGHTS in the legendary Valley of sunny Southern California. Everything you'd have hoped for was there...palm trees, skaters, mini malls and tons and tons of actual, bona fide adult film stars. Yep, real life porno humans abounded at the screening and after-party, upping the surreality and off-Hollywood glamor of the event and increasing its memorability at least a dozenfold. Among them was a certain suave gentleman named Ron Jeremy. Earlier in the evening, we were lucky enough to have an introduction by the writer-director P.T. Anderson, who sat in on the show and shot the breeze about the film's creation, as well as his much anticipated new film, THERE WILL BE BLOOD.

A few days later saw us at the Santa Cruz, CA boardwalk for a mammoth screening of 1986' ultimate teen vampire masterpiece THE LOST BOYS. Over 3000 people were on hand for the show. One of them was the city's mayor, who showed up ready for action and quoted the film's bloodsucking oath: "Sleep all day, party all night!" This was followed by appearances from many of the film's leads, and the audience went nuts. Every new shot of the boardwalk evoked a roar of cheers from the audience, and everyone left with a head full of memories and pants full of sand.

I'd love to write more, but we're in the midst of preparing for our record-breakingly huge STAND BY ME show, which is basically going to envelop the entire town of Brownsville, OR this weekend.

There will be pie,
RRS Tour 2007 crew

2007 Rolling Roadshow Tour: Fandango Scavenger Hunt

A small group of die-hard teams joined us in Austin, Texas to kick off the 2007 Rolling Roadshow and the Ultimate Fandango Scavenger Hunt. Teams were given a list of items they had to photograph, places to visit and laws to gently bend. In 36 hours we were to meet up again in San Elizario to begin the cinematic celebration. We've assembled on our Flickr page some of the photos from the hunt for the rest of you guys to check out.

Also, if you ever want to recreate your own personal Fandango, the official Alamo Drafthouse Scavenger Hunt list is posted below. There won't be a bottle of Dom Perignon waiting for you, but I can guarantee you complete Fandango immersion.

The Ultimate Fandango Scavenger Hunt

Welcome to the Ultimate Fandango scavenger hunt! This scavenger hunt is designed to start from Austin, Texas, but can be started from El Paso or anywhere since most of the action is in west Texas near Marfa and El Paso. For those leaving from Austin at 9:00 AM from the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at 1120 South Lamar Blvd., we’ll be providing a couple of extra surprises. These surprises will not affect scoring in any way.

We recommend allocating about 2 days to complete everything on the list, but you can take more or less time depending on your pace. We recommend fully analyzing the checklist before heading out on the road. Plot a route, get your supplies, and print out maps before you go. Please note; this is not a timed competition.

Check-in for the scavenger hunt will begin at 5 PM and end at 9 PM at the Fandango gazebo on July 18. The scavenger hunt is a photo-based hunt. Please use a digital camera to take photos of as many things on the list as possible. Note- we are not giving any credit for photos of movie screen-grabs or video box covers… All photos must be of real objects and real people. Some photos will be given partial credit (based on style/judges interpretation). We will have a universal card reader at check-in that can read all memory cards, however, to be sure we can download your photos, you may want to bring your own USB reader if you have one for your camera.

The list of photos to take is below. You can treat this scavenger hunt as a pilgrimage to all of your favorite locations from the movie and take photos of only those things you are comfortable doing. Bear in mind, many of the things on the list below are unsafe, unwise and potentially illegal, but so were the Groovers. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and the Rolling Roadshow do not condone breaking the law or engaging in any unsafe activity. If you choose to break any laws, you are accountable for your own actions.

That said, here is the list;

Value Description
450 A photo of one of your team members skydiving (must also bring dated receipt 7/13/07 or later)
100 One of your team members toasting the privilege of youth from the same rock that Kevin Costner performed his toast
100 Your entire team in front of Dom Rock
50 Your entire team in front of the original Dom Rock
0 Bonus (no points, just for fun). We have buried 6 bottles of Champagne at Dom rock. See note 1 for details.
100 Your entire team mooning a middle aged couple (note, the rolling roadshow assumes no accountability for your actions)
50 Bonus points if you can prove that the elderly couple is your parents
150 A picture taken from your car showing a trucker and the rest of your team mooning that trucker (note, the rolling roadshow assumes no accountability for your actions)
50 Your team with someone who looks like Chuck Bush (not actually Chuck Bush)
50 Your team with someone who looks like Marvin McIntyre (not actually Marvin McIntyre)
50 Your team with someone who looks like Brian Cesak (not actually Brian Cesak)
250 Your team at the Mclean Massacre marker (see note 2)
50 One of your team members eating 3 chili dogs and a malt from the Sonic in Alpine, Texas
100 One of your team members covertly eating food from someone else's tray at the Sonic in Alpine, Texas
50 One of your team members making out at the Sonic in Alpine, Texas
100 One of your team members looking really sad and flying a kite in the desert
100 One of your team members shooting fireworks (see note 3) (note, the rolling roadshow assumes no accountability for your actions)
100 Your team at the Marfa Cemetery
100 One of your team members with a live lizard in their pants
75 One of your team members taking a shower in a car wash
150 A picture of something spelled out using laundry on the tarmac of the Pecos Parachute School
50 All of your team members eating twinkies
50 Laundry flying through the air (picture scored on beauty)
100 Your team posed in front of Chata Ortega's Bar and Grill
25 Your team posing next the the Groovers grafitti in Chata Ortega's Bar and Grill
50 Your team outside the schoolhouse in Toyah (see note 4)
75 Your team in the basement of the schoolhouse in Toyah (note, the rolling roadshow assumes no accountability for your actions)
100 Your team on the first or second floor of the schoolhouse in Toyah (note, the rolling roadshow assumes no accountability for your actions)
50 One of your team members wedged against the back window of your car
25 A dog, a bird, a turtle, a mouse, a bug walking or hopping across the road (25 pts each)
50 A baby blue Cadillac with fins
100 A member of your team “ghostriding the whip” in west Texas (note 5) (note, the rolling roadshow assumes no accountability for your actions)
50 A member of your team getting Shiner Bock poured in his/her face while leaning out of the car (note, the rolling roadshow assumes no accountability for your actions)
200 Your team on the giant set near Marfa (note 6)
100 Your team in front of the gas station/repair shop in Marathon, TX
100 Your team in the back seat of a car driven by two high school jailbait airheads from Marfa High School
50 One of your team members looking wistful towards the horizon at the spot where Truman lands with the bride
150 Two of your team members dancing in front of the gazebo in San Elizario (judged on style and/or skill)
50 3 old men with straw hats on a bench

3600 Total possible points

Note 1: Bonus (no points, just for fun). For the first 6 teams to arrive at Dom Rock, we have buried a champagne treat for you... looking at and touching the d in the original DOM (not movie DOM) take 12 paces to the left. Look for the small grotto formed by two rocks. Look for a bright red rock. Dig CAREFULLY, Don't use shovel or you will break the bottles. Please take just one bottle and replace dirt and red rock for the next teams. If there are no more bottles, you weren't one of the first 6 teams to arrive.

Note 2: The McLean Massacre marker is well the hell out of the way, it’s in East Texas. Don’t head out there unless you are already passing though. It’s not worth it.

Note 3: We are originally going to have you shoot off fireworks in the Marfa cemetery, but with the risk of fires, that didn’t seem so prudent. When you light off your fireworks, do it away from grass and shrubs, preferably on the pavement/asphalt.

Note 4: My wife and I went to the Toyah Schoolhouse where the fraternity interiors were shot. There is an opening to the basement, but we were too chicken to venture in. Bring a flashlight and more bravery than we brought.

Note 5: We could not in good conscience condone surfing on top of your car in West Texas. A kid in my high school actually died doing just this in 1987 and that would put a real buzzkill on the Fandango festivities. Instead, you can try out the new unsafe fad that’s been sweeping the nation. Do a quick “ghostriding the whip” Youtube search and you’ll see what it is. Bear in mind, this is a STILL photograph we are asking for. Don’t do anything dumb. Staging this shot is fine.

Note 6: When my wife and I scouted the locations, we found no remains of the Giant set. If someone can show proof of being at the actual giant set location, you will get the points. In our scouting trip, we failed in this. Please take very accurate accounting of the directions so we can update the www.howboutafandango.com website.

Addresses:
Mclean Massacre marker
eight miles south of Palestine, TX, on Anderson County Road 185.

The Sonic Drive-In
The Sonic is located on the corner of E. Holland and N. Garrett streets in downtown Alpine. GPS coordinates: N30º 21.530', W103º 39.385'.

The Cemetery
The cemetery (named "Cementerio de la Merced") is located on the western edge of Marfa, about a mile from the center of the city, on Highway 90. GPS coordinates: N30º 18.474', W104º 02.357'

The Gas Station/Repair shop
The gas station is located on Highway 90 at Avenue F in Marathon. GPS coordinates: N30º 12.369', W103º 14.608'.

Pecos Parachute School
To get to the location, take the Pyote exit off of Interstate 20 (about 40 miles west of Odessa), then turn right on the feeder road on the south side of the freeway. You will pass the State School and then see the remnants of the hangar off to your left (i.e. south of the freeway). GPS coordinates: N31º 31.630', W103º 08.015'.

Chata Ortega’s Bar and Grill
Chata Ortega's is located between Toyah and Pecos on Interstate 20. Take the Shaw Road exit (exit 29), turn west on the feeder road on the south side of the interstate, and you will see the building about a mile down on your left (i.e. south of the freeway), about 50 yards south of the feeder road. Just hop the barbed wire fence (there's no one around to stop you) and you have the run of the place. GPS coordinates: N31º 21.047', W103º 42.751'.

Dom Rock
The DOM rock is located between Lajitas and Presidio on Highway FM170. Specifically, the rock is 13.5 miles north of Lajitas, 1.5 miles north of the rest area with teepee shaped shelters, and 36.5 miles south of the Highway 67 intersection in Presidio. It is located on the highest hill on FM170. Just park your car on the, hike about 50 feet toward the river, and voila - DOM. GPS coordinates: N29º 17.714', W103º 55.580'. To find the original “Dom”, which is carved into the rock, simply look up from the movie “Dom”, which is sprayed in white paint.

Truman Drops off the Girl
Though the buildings are no longer there, the mountains and ditch in the background give it away. It is off of Texas Hwy 20, between Fort Hancock and San Elizario.

The Gazebo
take Interstate 10 about 15 miles east of El Paso, use exit 42, and follow the signs to San Elizario (about 5 miles south of the freeway). GPS coordinates: N31º 35.094', W106º 16.398'.

2007 Rolling Roadshow Tour: dispatch from the trenches part I

We're hungry, sleepless and unshaven. Our bodies are filled with truck stop cuisine gas damage and covered in sunburn, one of us has grown a hideous beard and another, in a fit of self-loathing dementia, has shaved his head into a ridiculous floppy mohawk.

One show down, ten to go.

The first event, our San Elizario screening of FANDANGO, was a complete success. In a town with a population of under a thousand, we managed to pull off a full-scale celebration of a movie that is largely unfamiliar to modern audiences. Cast, fans and innocent bystanders alike all had a great time and we made some new pals with the locals. The scavenger hunt teams pulled through, breaking all the right laws to earn points for the event. The happy couple was married LIVE! by FANDANGO star Chuck Bush, and there was a big party afterwards in the town square.

Everyone worked their rumps off and collapsed in a heap of sunstroke and success at the end of the night. Now we're four states away in a tiny hotel in the equally tiny town of Blythe, CA, preparing to embark on our BOOGIE NIGHTS and LOST BOYS events, one of which will involve a very special movie prop which we'll pick up later today. I'm not saying what it is, but let's just say that it likely put Mark Wahlberg's inseam to the ultimate test.

It's time to head out already, but we'll be checking back in from various truck stops and parking lots with updates and battle scars from the road.

Until then, keep your movie obsession raging.

Links:
Photos from the Fandango Rolling Roadshow event.
How Bout a Fandango Message Board with lots of posts about the event.
Ain't It Cool News post.

Your pals,
The Rolling Roadshow 2007 Tour crew

Rolling Roadshow Tour: Day #1

We've been planning for today for the past 4 months, and it was very strange to stop on a dime, load up the Roadshow caravan fleet and officially be out on the road. We have a much smaller crew this year than last year (6 instead of 10 folks) which I think will be a much less chaotic group dynamic experience.

We met at the theater at 9 AM this morning with the Fandango scavenger hunt teams and Brian Cesack and Chuck Bush, stars from the movie. After a celebratory champagne toast and a few last minute packing mishaps, we hit the trail for San Elizario, first stop on the 2007 Rolling Roadshow Tour. These guys were the hardcore Fandango fans, the types of folks that I really like to have out at screenings. One couple flew in from the UK, another team had matching homemade Fandango T-shirts and a third group had actually made their own Fandango refrigerator magnets. They are going to spend the next 36 hours skydiving, trespassing and generally wreaking havoc through west Texas as they vie to become the champs of the ultimate Fandango Scavenger Hunt. Winner gets a bottle of Dom Perignon and some serious bragging rights.

I'm currently sitting in the parking lot of the Flying J Truck Stop typing up my thoughts, which granted aren't all that tremendously interesting. Our motel for the night is the only hotel in San Elizario, the Cotton Valley Inn, where there isn't a WIFI signal within a 10 mile radius. We ate at their restaurant called the Bol Weevil Cafe. Too freakin' great of a name, we had to support.

I'll be checking in regularly from the road. Tomorrow, I will have photos from all of the scavenger hunt teams, who frankly have been asked to do a lot of really unwise things, which should make for some really interesting photos, perhaps some of those being mugshots. For the record, the Alamo assumes no liability for any wrongdoing on the part of the teams.

We'll check back in later when there is more to report than road fatigue from the I-10 straight shot to El Paso.

More info on the Rolling Roadshow Tour
Dewar's White Label: sponsor of the tour's various after-parties (we're rolling with 50 liters, which may also prove to be a factor in future posts.

Lost Boys Hotel Package deals

The Roadshow Crew will be staying at the Coast Santa Cruz Hotel, the official hotel of the Lost Boys Santa Cruz Rolling Roadshow event. The hotel is also featuring special package deals for folks coming in from out of town for the event.



LOST BOYS PACKAGE

$309 SINGLE
* King room with full ocean view and private balcony
* Special amenity upon arrival
* Exclusive Lost Boys event poster
* 1 VIP ticket/reserved spot at the show
* Invitation to after party
* Free valet parking

$329 DOUBLE
* Double room with full ocean view and private balcony
* Special amenity upon arrival
* 2 Exclusive Lost Boys event posters
* 2 VIP tickets/reserved spots at the show
* 2 invitations to after party
* Free valet parking

Note: room rates do not include California hotel tax.

To reserve a "Lost Boys VIP package room, please call the Coast Santa Cruz Hotel at (831) 426-4330. For more information, check out their website.

More news on the Fandango front...

Check out a great new article in the El Paso Times about the Fandango Roadshow. Please note - the date in the article is wrong - the show is actually on the 18th not the 17th.

In other Fandango news, we have another confirmed guest coming in. Mike Haley, the dance choreographer who gave special dance instruction to Costner and Amis for the finale dance number. He'll be providing the bride and groom with their own private lesson so that after the ceremony, when the Pat Metheny tunes strikes up, they will know exactly what to do.

Special thanks to Laura malloy-Auderer from Four on the Floor for arranging this special guest. To quote Laura, "I have to admire a guy who helped Kevin Costner and Suzy Amis to look that decent as dancers while staying in character. In fact, he had to choreograph a waltz to a great but breezy, nowhere-near-a-waltz Pat Metheny soft-jazz piece -- and he made that work perfectly!!"

We'll see you on JULY 18 on the square in San Elizario for the Ultimate Fandango, which just gets better every day!

Friday is now Boogie Nights...

When the press started to hit about the Friday screening at Helen Keller Park in South Central, the LA County Parks Office got a case of cold feet. With only two weeks before the screening we found ourselves without a venue. Unwilling to accept an inferior location, the Rolling Roadshow team made an emergency trip back to Los Angeles to scout for another screening option.

There's no lack of amazing films that have taken full advantage of the multifaceted Los Angeles landscape, and we had no trouble finding an amazing substitute. We're sad to not experience Friday on Friday in South Central Los Angeles, but we are very happy to be presenting a 10th Anniversary celebration of Boogie Nights in Reseda, California on the very block where it was filmed.

BOOGIE NIGHTS
Screened on location at 18407 Sherman Way in Reseda, CA
Saturday, July 21, 8:30 PM

We will be screening the film in the parking lot behind the filming location for the Hot Traxx Disco, 18407 Sherman Way. This stretch of Sherman Way is the epicenter of everything Boogie Nights. The opening shot (the Reseda Theater); the Roller Girl limo scene; Hot Traxx disco; and the Donut Shop to name just a few; they are right here. In 5 minutes you can stroll from the screening location to the shooting location of many of the key moments from the movie. Before the film, we'll have a selection of vintage 70s disco trailers and we'll have plenty of foot-long hot dogs on sale.

The after-party will be at the Kessab Banquet Hall at 18407 Sherman Way which for that night will be transformed into Hot Traxx Disco. We'll have on display Mark Wahlberg's actual prosthetic member (yes, it was a prosthesis), a fabulous spread of Armenian food and cocktails courtesy of Dewar's White Label. We are expecting some special guests from the film to be in attendance. Seventies disco attire is strongly encouraged.

Like all screenings on the Rolling Roadshow Tour, the Boogie Nights event is free admission. You can, however, buy one of the limited number of VIP tickets that guarantees you a prime seating location, a limited edition hand-silkscreened event poster and admission to the after-party.

Ive posted to our Flickr account a few photos from my scouting trip to "the Valley."

Check our website for complete information on this screening, maps and VIP tickets.

Wedding couple announced...

On this website a couple of months ago, we announced that we were conducting a nationwide search for a couple to be married at the Ultimate Fandango screening on July 18. This weekend, we put all the qualifying couples names into a hat and pulled out a winner. The couple to be officially married by Chuck Bush (Dorman) on the square in San Elizario after the screening is Patty Aleman and Gilbert Chavarria.

Now, we had about a dozen other folks who expressed interest in getting married Fandango style. While Chuck is only going to "legally" marry one couple, we are opening up the experience to anyone who wants to stand behind rank from Patty and Gilbert and get "unofficially" married. The lights will be lit, the Pat Metheny will be on the sound system, and I have a suspicion that the feeling is going to be just right for romance. I know I am personally going to be packing a tux and renewing the vows with my wife. If you plan on taking part in the group marriage ceremony, please email us and we'll make sure to have room for you.

See you on the square in less than 3 weeks!