On the Red Carpet at The Pacifier Premiere Jade Melody

No sooner had I set up post underneath the bright lights and securely barricaded pathway of the El Capitan Theatre than the first guest confidently waddled down the red carpet. No guys, it wasn’t Fat Albert; it was Gary, a cute little mallard duck who plays the family pet in the new Walt Disney/Spyglass Entertainment movie The Pacifier.

Accompanied by his trainer, White Water (his real name) scurried down the red carpet, periodically stopping to groom his bright green feathers and wiping his little webbed feet on the ground (you’d swear he’d done this before!). I was surprised to learn that White Water was one of several ducks used during production. I wondered how you could train a duck to hit a mark or come on command (I mean, lets face it, even humans have a hard time following directions).

“It’s much like training a dog or cat,” the trainer states. “You use positive reinforcement to train them to respond to gestures or sound."

Later it was revealed that it only took three takes to capture one of the most well remembered scenes in the movie, where Gary the Duck attacks Vin Diesel. I asked the trainer if White Water would be so kind as to humor us with a few tricks, but she explained that White Water was her “sitting” duck, a special duck trained specifically to stay still on command. Not too disappointed, I waited, eager to see who else would wander down the copious carpet.

Shortly after meeting Gary the Duck, heaps of the Disney Channel friends and family rolled in to show their support. Dominated by bright-eyed young actresses, these cute Disney darlings were not afraid to talk to the press. Among these starlets was actress Amy Bruckner. Bruckner plays Pim Diffy in the Disney Channel original series Phil of the Future. She will also be starring in Disney Channel's American Dragon: Jake Long as Jake’s sister, Haley Long.

Right behind Amy Bruckner were sisters Alyson and Amanda Michalka (they go by Aly and AJ). Alyson (or Aly) stars in Phil of the Future with Bruckner. Aly plays Keely Teslow, a girl who befriends the main character, Phil, played by Ricky Ullman. Not only were the sisters there to support Disney and the release of The Pacifier, they also wanted to let everyone know about the debut of their self-titled album Aly & AJ. When asked how they would describe their music, Aly replies, “It has a bit of a rock edge, but it's something that everyone can listen to." Aly and AJ's debut album is tentatively due to hit the mainstream market in August 2005.

The sisters were also celebrating the release of their song “No One,” which is being featured as the main theme song for the upcoming Walt Disney Studios feature film Ice Princess. The movie will be in theaters on March 18.

Bending down to talk to her, Morgan York (who plays sibling Lulu Plummer in The Pacifier) came strolling down the red carpet next. York is known for her recent performance in Cheaper by the Dozen. When asked about her character’s similarities to her own personality, she explains, “We are alike a little bit. In the movie, my character is afraid of all of the new changes around her and she is trying to get over her fears. I’m like her because I’m trying to get over my fear of singing in front of a lot of people.”

As I congratulated her, she told me that she would be confronting her fear this weekend by singing with her friend at her school’s talent show.

The bright lights over the red carpet seemed to emit rays of warmth on this oddly chilly night in March. I was cold, but the fans didn’t seem to mind. They waited patiently to catch a glimpse of their favorite Hollywood personality. A crowd favorite by far, former Miss Massachusetts Teen USA Maria Menounos is best recognized for her job on Entertainment Tonight as a correspondent. Most recently she is noted for her reoccurring guest appearance on the popular WB series One Tree Hill.

“What’s new with you?,” I ask.

“Well, I just finished working on American Pie 4,” Menounos replies.

“Oh wow!,” I exclaim. “What was that like?”

“It was soooooo much fun! The cast is REALLY great and I think everyone will enjoy this movie,” states Menounos.

Menounos also announced that she has been selected to be the new spokesperson for Pantene. Proving that beauty pageant participants are more than just a big smile and a bikini body, Menounos was definitely one of my red carpet favorites because of her down-to-earth attitude and contagious personality.

Another one of my personal favorites was composer John Debney, who came down the red carpet with his beautiful wife by his side.

“I’m a little unfamiliar with the way a score is produced in the movie business,” I explain. “What comes first, the music or the movie?”

“That’s a good question,” he begins to answer. “Most of the movie is made first, then they come to me with an idea and I compose the music.”

Debney is so incredibly humble and earnest that you would never suspect the vast amount of accomplishments him and his wife have achieved. He has a wealth of scores under his belt, including The Passion of the Christ, Bruce Almighty, The Princess Diaries 2, Christmas with the Kranks and Spy Kids, just to name a few. I congratulate him on his recent Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score for his work on The Passion of the Christ. He states that he really enjoyed working with Mel Gibson on the project, and that it's something he hopes to do again.

Movie stars Chris Potter (Capt. Bill Fawcett, Vin Diesel’s commander in The Pacifier) and Denis Akiyama (who plays Mr. Chun, the crazy mad scientist) where both equally charming when I talked to them. Akiyama, who had longer, darker hair than his character in the movie, commented on what it was like working with Vin Diesel. “Working with Vin Diesel was great!,” he says. “He’s much nicer and down-to-earth than some of the characters he plays in films.”

Just at that instance (as if Hollywood had planned it that way) an uproar of yells and screams explode from behind me. “He’s over there!,” members of the media whisper. Everyone’s attention turns to the blocked-off Hollywood Boulevard that stood behind us. My eyes swiftly searched the perimeters as I listened to the backdrop of screaming fans. With an entrance as big as his Hollywood name, Diesel made his way onto the red carpet. But even before he planted a single foot on the plush carpeting, he redirected his course and cruised towards his adoring fans to sign autographs.

With the premiere already running late, Diesel was escorted from the crowd and whisked down the red carpet (right past the media I might add!). He posed for a quick picture with Gary the Duck and was then taken to the theater entrance where he had to do photo ops with other members of the movie. As he disappeared into the sea of premiere guests herded at the entrance of the theater, I kept thinking one thing: Damn. I missed my chance to meet THE Vin Diesel. The guy I have lusted after ever since that one love seen in The Fast and the Furious (I know you ladies out there remember that!).

As fate would have it, the buzz around the media circuit was that Vin might come back out -- it was doubtful, but there was the possibility. Never one to give up, I waited patiently for his probable reappearance. At the expense of missing his own premiere, Vin Diesel gallantly re-emerged. Making his way back onto the carpet, he hurriedly walked to the apex of the media line and began giving interviews. I was so excited I could nearly contain myself. As he got closer, I could tell the theater attendants at the entrance were growing increasingly agitated. Diesel smiled, shook hands and eagerly answered questions about the movie. As luck would have it, as soon as our hands were about to meet, “We’re starting!,” one of the attendants said in a stern voice. “Vin!,” I said as they pulled him away. “I’m sorry!,” he echoed back as he was pulled away into the entrance. “I’ll see you guys at the party!”

I never found out what party that was but I was satisfied nonetheless. Even though I didn’t interact with Diesel as much as I wanted to, I was pleased to see that after all the success he’s had in recent years he’s still a very approachable and down-to-earth guy. Like many of the other red carpet dwellers I interviewed that day, I am glad to see that there is still a bit of humility left in Tinsel Town. In a city full of good lighting and special effects it raises the question: Does Hollywood make the people or do the people make Hollywood?

The Pacifier is currently playing in theaters everywhere.

Check out The Pacifier's official website at http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/pacifier.