Follow Along with me at Disney’s Inside Out Red Carpet Event in LA! #InsideOutEvent #ABCTVEvent

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Erin

Follow Along with me at Disney’s Inside Out Red Carpet Event in LA!

By Erin

Hey everyone!!! Guess what??? I’m Going to LA in just a few short days!!!!!! EEK!!! Well…..wait a minute, that doesn’t sound right, I live in LA, well technically closer to Long Beach, but still, It’s LA County. It probably sounds more exciting when all of the other bloggers from out of state say that. 😉 So, I’ll be traveling about 30 miles north of where I am, up the 605, to the 5, then the 101; but you know, in LA traffic that can take anywhere from 1-2 hours!

If you’ve been following along here for a while, you know I’ve been attending the press junkets for the majority of the Disney Movies coming out. Well, Disney has given me an opportunity of a lifetime to attend the Inside Out Event, which is one thing I’ve been wanting to do since I created this blog. To be able to attend press trips and events for anything and everything having to do with Disney, Disneyland, Disney World. You get the idea!

So it has happened! My first press trip (and hopefully not my last!!) with Disney is happening! Disney has us all there for not only the red carpet premiere of Pixar’s Inside Out, but for so much more! Wait until you read what else is in store for myself and 24 other lucky bloggers beginning this coming weekend on Sunday, June 7th! Check out what’s in store below!

First I will be attending a press junket for Inside Out, which is separate from this event, but as soon as that is over, I will be wasting no time and jumping right on over from that and into the fun which is starting at the CBS Television Studios for a live taping of Celebrity Family Feud. We have not gotten any word of who the celebrity families will be, but I do know that the survey does say that it will be hosted by the highly popular and beloved Emmy Award-winning talk show host Steve Harvey! Celebrity Family Feud will be pitting celebrities against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey-type question posed to 100 people. Who doesn’t LOVE Family Feud! This was one of my favorite game shows to watch (and still IS) as a kid!

You can follow along with us on this part of the trip using #ABCTVEvent and #CelebrityFamilyFeud and will be airing June 21st 8/7C.

Our next fun-filled day has us arriving bright and early at the Walt Disney Studios lot for breakfast and then we will be viewing the Phineas and Ferb episode “The Last Day of Summer” followed by a Q & A session with the Creators and Executive Producers Dan Povenmire & Jeff “Swampy” Marsh. Following this, we will enjoy a fun summer picnic with Dan, Swampy and Phineas & Ferb themselves! What a way to start the day! Many photos will be taken for sure.

You can follow along with us on this part of the trip using #PhineasAndFerbEvent and will be airing June 12th at 9pm ET/PT on Disney XD.

Run! Don’t Walk, to go See McFarland, USA! #McFarlandUSA

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Erin

Run! Don’t Walk, to go See McFarland, USA!

By Erin

Disney’s newest film McFarland, USA has hit the ground running today. Mcfarland, USA is the true story of how a cross country coach Jim White (Kevin Costner) rounded up a very unlikely group of Latino teens with uncertain futures and made them into true champions. McFarland is in California and is a predominantly Hispanic farming town where residents worked in the fields as “pickers.” With the odds stacked against them, this high school cross country team has a heart of gold and the determination of a tiger, they would not give up. With obstacles such as a non-existent budget, widespread prejudice, and the boys families needing them to help out in the fields everyday, White was able to show that “champions can come from anywhere.” The team became state champions in 1987. This film is truly an enjoyable one filled with many inspirational and motivating messages. You can do anything your heart desires, if you are willing to put in the time, dedication, and heart to make it happen.

The scenic and awe inspiring beauty of California is highlighted by Director Niki Caro, creatively making use of the cross country courses, from the urban landscape of McFarland, including the state prison right next door, to the surreal surroundings of the cross country meets that winded through hills, lush trees and other greenery. The production took the cast and crew to some of the most beautiful spots in Southern and Central California, from Lake Castaic to Malibu to the Griffith Park Observatory, in addition to the fields and neighborhoods of Bakersfield and McFarland.

Here are a few more interesting facts to note about McFarland, USA as you run out to go see this inspiring film.

Coach Jim White is retired now, but if you go to McFarland, chances are you will see him out there on his bike, keeping up with the kids every evening with a lot of his original team running alongside as well. White retired in 2002 after teaching in McFarland schools for 40 years and coaching for 25 years.
Many of the original runners on the championship 1987 cross-country team have returned to or have stayed in their hometown to give back to the town that gave so much to them. A lot of these boys have become educators in the McFarland school district. The former teammates are not only working in their hometown, but also raising their families there and actively supporting the cross-country teams of today by coaching, helping out with the meets and practices and donating goods or money so the teams have what they need.

Dreams Do Come True in McFarland, USA!

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Erin

Dreams Do Come True in McFarland, USA!

By Erin

It’s not very often a movie comes out that is as inspiring, touching, real, filled with as much heart and is as heartwarming as this one is. Be prepared to go on a very real and heartfelt adventure with this special group of boys in the most inspiring sports drama about a Mexican-American cross-country team from rural California.

Based on a true story, Kevin Costner stars as the team’s coach, Coach White, who’s determination to guide a bunch of farm workers’ kids into a team full of champions with big dreams and goals is evident from the start. Coach White isn’t perfect by any means but his heart is in the right place and he is passionately devoted to his runners. A couple of weeks ago I had the great privilege to attend a press junket with some of the film’s creators and actors to gain a little bit more insight into the film, its history, background and setting dreams and goals.

First off, there is a LOT of running in this movie. So, what kind of training did they have to go through to become cross country runners for the film? Carlos Pratts gave us a great description of what that was like.

Carlos Pratts: I would say in the mornings, we went to Santa Clarita and I would run five or six miles with these guys, and I cried more than I cried when I saw Bambi. Then we would go to the studio and rehearse the film, and then after that I would make the fun drive in the Hyundai Elantra, which I’m very thankful for because my car was in a bad place; thank you, Disney and I would make the fun drive to Redondo Beach. In Redondo Beach, I would then go through a lot of pain from the great people at Brick Fitness – thank you, Brian Gwen –he would help with the strength, and then the nutrition and all that. So for about three months, I couldn’t have a carb and I didn’t wear a shirt in my apartment. So… I’m kidding about that part.

The World Premier of McFarland, USA

Horsing Around In LA

Tag Archives: Hollywood

Follow Along with me at Disney’s Inside Out Red Carpet Event in LA! #InsideOutEvent #ABCTVEvent