“Wheels” Screening at the ArcLight – Shelly’s Report
On Monday, November 9th, Fox held an advance screening of this week’s episode of Glee, “Wheels“. Our LA rep, Shelly (@GleekShelly) got tickets to the event and wrote up her full report! Producers Dante Di Loretto, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan were there to introduce the episode, as were castmates Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina), Chris Colfer (Kurt) and Kevin McHale (Artie)!
At the end of the report, there is a slight spoiler about a very special guest star, but I promise you that you will not be disappointed if you read it. :) Enjoy!
I apologize in advance for the picture quality -- I had an epic camera failure and had to resort to using my iPhone. :(
When I arrived at the ArcLight at 6:30, there were about 20-25 people already in line.
They started handing out tickets and wristbands at 7:30 and let the line in at 8.
There was a row of about ten big Glee posters lining the hall that led to the theatre entrance. Pretty cool!
Concession tables were set up along the opposite wall. They had Coke, Diet Coke, and Sprite in Glee slushie cups (I think they were the same as the ones they had at the Santa Monica premiere), popcorn in Glee bags, Glee napkins, and boxes of Red Vines, Raisinets, and Goobers… in case anyone was wondering. :P
Glee popcorn!
I took this when I got home because I forgot to take one at the theatre… haha. Please excuse the grossness.
A slideshow of random pictures and the Glee soundtrack were played while we waited. I tried to get a picture of every frame. Some would call that excessive, but I’m hoping that you Gleeks will appreciate my efforts. XD
After about ten minutes, Dante Di Loretto stepped up front to introduce the other producers, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan.
Then Jenna, Chris, and Kevin came out to introduce the episode. None of them seemed like they had prepared much to say, so all they did was tell us the title of the episode and to enjoy the show. :)
I’m not going to write much of an episode review because I don’t want to spoil anyone, but I will say that I thought this was the best episode by far, and that Jane Lynch gives an amazing performance. Definitely a tear-jerker.
The cast members sat in for the entire showing, but took off immediately afterwards, so there was no fan interaction. :( However, Lauren Potter, who plays the new Cheerio Becky Jackson, was hanging out in the lobby and I got the chance to chat with her for a bit. She was so incredibly sweet and seemed really excited to be meeting people and taking pictures with them. I asked her to make a video for the fans, and she was more than happy to oblige. :D Here it is:
Also, if you would like to read an article about Lauren guest starring on Glee, read: Lauren Potter, an Actress with Down Syndrome, to Star in Glee. She seems like an awesome person. :)
Thanks for the details. Us New Yorkers who could not attend are very jealous!
Oh my gosh! Lauren was the cutest thing ever! I went up to her after the screening telling her that she did a great job, and she gave me a hug! I was expecting a thank you, and that was about it, but to get a hug and see her thankfulness of me coming up to her was great! I can’t wait to see her in the rest of the show!
I had never seen glee before, but when I heard that they would be featuring actresses who had Down Syndrome I had to watch. I know Robin, the other actress who played the coaches older sister and I was so incredibly proud of her. Way to go Robin!!! Robin is also an amazing person. Lauren did a great job and it was wonderful to read about her. I hope more shows follow in glee’s foot steps and include more actors with disabilities.
Does anybody know if she will be starring in the next episode?