Behind the Scenes (c) KC Saling, 2013
No, that isn’t a flipped around iPhone camera image, it’s the backside of the big screen at Sunset on the Beach this past Thursday. Sunset on the Beach is a free movie for whoever wants to show up, shown out on the beach on a thirty foot movie screen. Every once in a while, this gets co-opted by the network to launch premieres for Hawaii-based movies and TV shows, like Lost and Hawaii Five-O.
Red Carpet Gawkers (c) KC Saling, 2013
We’re not normally celebrity gawkers. I’m not saying we’ll pass up a meet-and-greet opportunity or a chance to add names to the shameless name dropping I sometimes do when I’m proud of having hung out with someone cool. But normally, there has to be that opportunity for us to show up. But we showed up with no badges or passes or anything at the Five-O premiere just because, well, we love Five-O.
Love it. Part of it is, honestly, the Hawaii connection {if I had a dollar for every episode we watched just so the husband could shout “that’s my old building, they shot right by my old building” or so we could point out all the places we remembered and talk about those memories}, but it’s a fun show! It takes itself only as seriously as it has to in order to run with some fun plots, but for the most part, it’s just fun.
Here are some of the highlights of the evening, starting with getting banished to the paparazzi corner watching the real entertainment networks and journalists show up and get their stuff set up.
Sound and light checks (c) KC Saling, 2013
Entertainment Tonight’s very preggers host enjoys a laugh with us riffraff out back (c) KC Saling, 2013
Filming introductory segments (c) KC Saling, 2013
Setting up the photo wall (c) KC Saling, 2013
We had some fun with the stars when they started showing up. Seriously, Dennis Chun, Michelle Borth, and Daniel Dae Kim are the nicest people you could meet. Especially Daniel, and you’ll see why in a moment.
Dennis Chun comes out back to chat (c) KC Saling, 2013
He signed autographs for a few folks (c) KC Saling, 2013
If you don’t already know, Dennis was in the original Five-O and he’s the son of Kam Fong, who played Chin Ho {Daniel Dae Kim’s role in the new Five-O} in the original also, so he’s got some long-standing ties to the show.
We had a brief chance to say hi to Michelle Borth before she got spirited into the show. We almost missed her in the midst of the screaming that happened when the Jonas Brothers came in. I’d forgotten they were supposed to be there, or else I would have brought my earplugs as protection against the caustically shrill teen screaming that happened {and as a die hard AC/DC + Metallica + hard rock girl…who are the Jonas Brothers?}. Anyway…
Michelle Borth is a sweetie (c) KC Saling, 2013
And the highlight of the evening was Daniel Dae Kim, who decided that the VIP red-carpet side was a lot less fun than the riffraff pit we were hanging out in. What? One of the cool kids wants to come over and play with us? Awesome!
Up and over (c) KC Saling, 2013
Daniel Dae Kim (c) KC Saling, 2013
Daniel Dae Kim (c) KC Saling, 2013
He spent a good long time chatting with everyone, shook hands, signed autographs, took pictures, and compared travel destinations. Apparently, he’s never been anywhere in Scandinavia, but the couple from Iceland hanging out with us convinced him that he needs to go. And I don’t have my picture with him because, lessoned learned, I have to teach my husband to use my camera. Sigh.
But I did get this picture of him with the super-excited little girl who wedged herself in next to me.
Daniel Dae Kim (c) KC Saling, 2013
Seriously, he made her day. The funniest thing afterward was watching her offer her hand to her friends, saying, “He shook it! He shook it!” I hope it gets washed, but seeing her excitement was so much fun. Not that I’m excited. Really. Okay, I am, but the most exciting thing is meeting some of my favorite folks on the show {Chin Ho Kelly is awesome and Catherine kicks butt} and having them be really nice people. There are some folks that you meet and it’s disappointing for various reasons. And there are some I’ve heard about that I’d rather not meet just because I don’t want their real persona to destroy my idea about their character. It was awesome to discover that these three were all so nice.
And yeah, we tried to get some McGarrett pictures for y’all, but this is what happens when Alex O’Loughlin comes out with the ever-lovin’ Jonas Brothers. I want to kick the VIP section. I think they just came for the Jonas Brothers.
Feeding frenzy (c) KC Saling, 2013
Yeah, we weren’t seeing anything from the paparazzi section. These were the best I could do:
Alex O’Loughlin (c) KC Saling, 2013
Interviewing “McGarrett” (c) KC Saling, 2013
Okay, so those aren’t too terrible. It would have been more fun if he hadn’t been pushed right to the interview section, but hey, the guy’s got to earn a living. Or maybe he did stop by. I think I was too busy yelling at the group of teenage girls near us who kept yelling “Steve! Steve!” Seriously, on set, sure, Steve. But the poor guy’s name is Alex. Is it weird that I’m annoyed on his behalf? Maybe acting isn’t as grating as writing under a pseudonym, but every once in a while, you just want to yell, “That’s not my name!” Oh well.
I didn’t just snap celebrity paparazzi photos on our trip out. Waikiki is too beautiful to ignore and we just don’t get down there enough. So here are some of the best of my shots from the beach:
Blue skies (c) KC Saling, 2013
Waikiki (c) KC Saling, 2013
Breezy palms (c) KC Saling, 2013
Sunset on the beach (c) KC Saling, 2013
And let’s not forget this guy running by. He forgot his clothes, and he’s on fire. Don’t know what to make of this.
Man on fire (c) KC Saling, 2013
Just kidding. The torch-lighting is always fun, but you gotta wonder if those guys don’t feel a little self-conscious with their buns in the breeze.
Yep, so…celebrity watching, TV premiere, and good food and drinks on a world-famous beach. Not a bad way to spend a Thursday evening. And we’re up to some more fun and adventures this weekend, because I have a little birthday to celebrate. It’s not a big one, no worries. I’m just celebrating my thirtieth birthday. For the fourth time. Yeah.