My coworker and friend, Ellen Lloyd, is pretty much a pop queen. She is literally a wealth of pop trivia knowledge, and I would not hesitate to put her on my Phone A Friend life-line list should I ever be a contestant on a millionaire game show. She owns over 400 dvds and can Tivo or Netflix anything she doesn't have. She reads the entertainment rumor columns and tv episode recaps in her spare time. And, best of all, the paparazzi have used Ellen as a resource at the annual Sundance Film Festival to recognize obscure actors.
When Ellen informed us that John Krasinski (Jim on the Office) was going to premier his movie at Sundance this year and that she was attending, we begged to come along. Ellen had plans to spend the whole weekend at Sundance, and Scott had had to work on Saturday morning. So Scott and I made the trek up to Park City around noon on Saturday to stand in the waiting line to buy tickets.
When we arrived, Ellen had been in the line for over two hours. The people in front of us were saying that only 200 people would be accepted to stand in the waiting line, and that they knew there were already 220 in front of them. We decided to ignore these comments and waited anyway for tickets to be passed out. (Keep in mind that these were not the tickets to go to the show but the tickets to stand in the waiting line to have a chance to BUY the ticket for the show.)
The tickets were passed out. "Only 100 left," the monitors called. "50 left." There was no way there were less than 50 people ahead of us in the line. We kept walking as tickets were being handed one at a time to the people in front of us. "25." No chance. Somehow, though, the line kept moving and more tickets were given. It was almost like the oil cruse miracle when Scott and I made it to the front of the line and we were handed tickets 198 and 199!
With our miraculous waiting-line ticket in hand, Ellen informed us that it's typical for only 50 people to be let in from the waiting line to buy movie premiere tickets. She and her roommates had numbers in the 60s, which meant that they (and obviously us) had only little chance of seeing the movie that day. Sad day! She then instructed us on how to use the free Sundance transportation system to visit downtown to star search.
We rode the crowded bus to Park City Main Street. There we received a free promotional Nesquik, saw a rock star who I said looked like Sting (Scott wouldn't let me take a picture), and walked past as Heather Locklear went from a ski lift to an internet cafe. Very exciting!
Upon our return, the waiting line was again formed. Everyone needed to be in order by ticket number. Some didn't return as the rumors of only 50 being let in were too dejecting to continue waiting. Ellen and roommates were playing phase ten merrily in the front of the line. We decided to wait just in case. The monitors entered, and the first 40 went in without hesitation. Ten more. Five more. Ellen and crew left us behind. Tickets were offered to approximately 75 people in the end, and there were still three rows of anxious viewers with us at the very end.
Dissapointed that we could not see Jim in person, we decided instead to boost our spirits by shopping at the Park City Outlets. Because what tragedy cannot be solved with a little spending, right?
I am not sure whether to feel honored or embarrassed at the comment on my wealth of pop culture knowledge. I am going to go with honored. While some may see it as sad and pathetic, I have found it handy.
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