“I spent $47 just to see Andrew and Jen.”
This comment by true-blue Bachelor fan Darlene of Anaheim sums
up the attitude of some of the die-hard fans who braved the heat and ticket
prices to catch a glimpse of their favorite stars at the ABC Primetime
Preview Weekend held September 6 and 7 at Disney’s California Adventure
park. The blockout was lifted for Annual Passholders, but they could only
get into DCA.
Jen Schefft and Andrew Firestone sign autographs for their fans. Firestone
was the selected “bachelor” in last season’s reality TV show,
The Bachelor. Firestone selected Schefft as his chosen one during
the last episode of the show, after Schefft competed with dozens of other
women to woo Firestone’s heart. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
But let’s say you aren’t addicted to Alias and aren’t even sure
who George Lopez is—should you attend the ABC Primetime Preview Weekend?
It depends. You might not have seen According to Jim, but you’ll
possibly get a big kick out of Jim Belushi’s tribute to “Jake Blues”
(the name of the character made famous in the movie The Blues Brothers
by his late brother, actor and comedian John Belushi) during an evening
blues/jazz/rock concert with his band, The Sacred Hearts.
Ron Rifkin and Jennifer Garner field questions at the Alias press
conference. Garner plays the show’s primary character, Sydney Bristow,
an international spy recruited out of college and trained for espionage.
Rifkin plays Arvin Sloane. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
It was more crowded at DCA than usual, but for those who wanted to enjoy
some of the attractions, the E-tickets Soarin’ Over California and Grizzly
River Run had fairly manageable wait times and Fastpass times throughout
the day on Saturday. For example, at noon, you could get a Soarin’ Fastpass
for 2:30 p.m.
Jen Schefft, Andrew Firestone and Chris Harrison field a question from
a member of the audience, seen in the background on the giant screen.
Harrison is the host of The Bachelor. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Those guests who visited DCA—some of whom had been at the front
gate since 5 a.m.—did indeed have a chance to see the stars after
a walk down the red carpet set up in the plaza.
The schedules were slightly different each day with some shows being
highlighted both Saturday and Sunday and others only getting a chance
to shine one day.
Fans could obtain show schedules, last-minute changes, and a promotional
DVD at the information booth. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Last year, as with this year, ABC balanced its new shows with returning
favorites. So if any of the new ones this season haven’t been canceled
by next summer, you might have the chance to meet the stars of new shows:
- I’m With Her (Comedy)
- It’s All Relative (Comedy)
- Karen Sisco (Drama)
- Threat Matrix (Drama)
- Married to the Kellys (TGIF Comedy)
- Hope and Faith (TGIF Comedy)
- 10-8 (Drama)
The returning shows were:
- 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter (Comedy).
- According to Jim (Comedy)
- Less Than Perfect (Comedy)
- My Wife and Kids (Comedy)
- The Bachelor (Reality)
- George Lopez (TGIF Comedy)
- Life With Bonnie (TGIF Comedy)
- L.A. Dragnet (Drama)
- Alias (Drama)
- The Practice (Drama)
At the Q-&-A Showcase, audience members had the chance to ask questions
of the stars of their favorite shows at the outside Golden State Amphitheater.
Across the way in the air conditioned Golden Dreams Theater, park visitors
could walk down another red carpet and be treated like a celebrity as
they went to view and critique the new shows on ABC—and even ask
questions of some of the cast. Members of the media were actually discouraged
from attending this one.
DCA visitors are encouraged to enjoy the red carpet treatment as they
enter the park. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Those who didn’t have time to watch an entire episode could head over
to the bridge on Paradise Pier and give their two cents’ worth about the
new shows after watching some TV trailers.
To actually have a chance to be a star, ABC Casting Call and ABC Reality
Check gave some lucky guests the opportunity to perform with—or in
front of—some of the ABC celebs.
The host of Casting Call demonstrates a karate move for a candidate. Photo
by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
At the Extreme Makeover kiosk at the Pacific Wharf, stars-to-be
had the opportunity to see if they were “bad-looking enough”
to be on the show.
Faith Ford and Ted McGinley pose for photos with their fans. Ford and
McGinley star in Hope and Faith, a new sitcom on the ABC Fall lineup.
Ford plays Hope, a suburban woman whose life is turned upside down when
her sister, an out-of-work soap opera star (played by Kelly Ripa) moves
in with the family. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
At the three photo spots, guests could take a picture with your favorite
stars, but had to put away that pen and autograph book away because they
were told the celebs didn’t have time to honor signing requests. But who
knows—you might get lucky next year. Christine from Brea got most
of Saturday’s stars to sign a towel belonging to her 15-month-old son,
Josh.
Christine from Brea, California, displays the towel she used to collect
autographs from ABC stars. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Anyone who wanted to see any of the shows could do so without a Fastpass.
The only show that did have limited seating was Sunday’s taping of the
Wayne Brady Show at MuppetVision 3-D, which was closed for the
weekend.
While most of the events were geared toward adults—a sign in front
of the Golden Dreams theater even noted that some of the shows had content
that might not be suitable for younger viewers—there was a big draw
for the teen crowd at Farmer’s Market. Radio Disney hosted autograph signings
with Raven and Lindsay Lohan, modern-day Hayley Mills and Annette Funicello.
In order to meet them, teens needed to obtain one of a limited supply
of wristbands. In addition, Olympian Michelle Kwan played guest host at
one of the Reality Checks.
Characters from The Wonderful World of Disney greet visitors for
a photo opportunity. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
One event that was open only to media, was the “Wonderful World
of Disney” at the Disney Animation attraction that was tied into
a program for 100 area elementary-age art students who were able to meet
several Disney animators—including Glen Keane. But across the street
there were plenty of photo opportunities available with the WWOD animated
stars. Unfortunately, for kids who are fans of Recess and Teamo
Supremo, there was nothing representing ABC’s One Saturday Morning.
Chris Harrison, host of The Bachelor, and Minnie Mouse lead the
parade. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
But if you didn’t feel like waiting in line to attend any of the events,
the Parade of the Stars made its way through the park at 4 p.m. both days,
featuring all the celebs waving from the backs of convertibles courtesy
Alamo (the “official” sponsor of the parade).
George Lopez and Constance Marie greet the parade viewers. Lopez plays
George on his eponymous sitcom, while Marie portrays his wife, Angie.
Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Or you could have looked to the skies prior to the parade to catch four
skydivers parachute into Sunshine Plaza courtesy of a publicity stunt
for police drama 10–8.
If you wanted to bring home a souvenir from the weekend, CD-ROMs of the
new shows as well as a Monday Night Football schedule and promo
card of Disney’s new animated film, Brother Bear were given free
near Greetings From California. The store itself offered guests the opportunity
to purchase a shirt and/or a pin with the Primetime Preview Weekend logo
on it, although there were no items with specific show names on them that
we could find.
Event merchandise is limited to a small selection of pins and T-shirts.
Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
If Disney decides to hold this event next year—and you plan to go—keep
these tips in mind:
- Bring lots of water and a hat for the outside events
- Wear really comfortable shoes; there is a lot of back-and-forth movement
fairly quickly from one event to the next. - You won’t be able to attend everything, so get there early enough
to grab a schedule, then pick and choose what you want. It will cut
down on the backtracking, too. - If Jim Belushi performs again next year, go see it! The actor-singer
encouraged his co-stars to join him on stage and the audience was even
treated to a mini performance by Country singer Brad Paisley (who is
married to Kimberly Williams of According to Jim).
It’s worth the money for an experience you probably wouldn’t have otherwise.
So, have fun and smile—it’s just television.
