Get Your BMW Ready for Bimmerfest 2011 sponsored by HorsepowerFreaks!

Originally Posted by Alaska Bimmer

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On a side note Universal studios filmed a movie here in Anchorage last October called "Everbody Loves Whales" with Drew Barrymore, Ted Danson, Vinessa Shaw, Dermont Mulrooney and tons of other people the movie takes place in 1988, so the baur was used as a background car in 4 scenes, so when the movie comes out I might have 20 seconds of international background parked car fame (the exhaust was too loud to be used as a driving car grr...)....One day I was even drafted as an extra and I got to freeze to death and walk down the sidewalk over and over for about 5 hours for a 2 minute scene....The movie is suposed to come out in Jan 2012.

I see the film has now been assigned a new release date - February 3rd, 2012. I'm guessing the Studio figured out that Everybody Loves Whales would make a great "Date Flick" which they could promote with a quasi Valentine's Day theme. If so it is a smart marketing move since who goes to movies just after returning to work after the holidays. (By the way anyone interested in a series of photos from the film's production here in Alaska just Google "BMW and Everybody Loves Whales" and you will find an extended thread on the other site with pictures taken by Alaska Bimmer on the first page and Yours Truly on page two. Interestingly several of our photos have made it into Bing's online site "Everybody Loves Whales Photos.")

And a post note. A rumor made to print in our local paper today that former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will have a cameo role in the film with real life footage of her as a newsperson at the time of the whale rescue effort. Here is a link to the "reporting" - though you will have to scroll a ways down to the heading in bold titled, "Fade to Sarah."

http://www.adn.com/2011/08/06/v-prin...laska-ear.html

Apart from Drew Barrymore's performance, I am looking forward to see how effective John Krasinski's ("Jim" from "The Office") transition from TV star to Movie Star is in "Everybody Loves Whales." Haven't seen the recent "Something Borrowed" film in which he also makes a screen debut.

On a local side note, it has been interesting to speak to people here who had various encounters with the show's stars when they were here in Alaska for the filming. Apparently, Ted Danson (formerly of "Cheers") is everybody's most likeable actor. Unlike some of the others he was very reachable and willing to mingle with the minions. I was talking to a bartender at an establishment next to the location where the Alaska Greenpeace Office set had been filmed and asked if any of the actors came in. Reportedly, when Ted came by for a coffee he was offered an opportunity to step behind the bar ala "Cheers." Although he graciously declined, he was just as congenial as his character on the long running TV series.

For anyone still following this thread the latest news is that the title of the film has been changed to "Big Miracle." It also looks like the release date has now bounced back to January rather than being delayed to February 3rd as previously projected. Reading the new summary from the Universal Studios website there are a few additional subtle additions of note, the major one being that these three unrelated whales have now become "a family" and the smaller whale is now being described as their baby. With that emphasis it is hard to imagine that the smaller whale will be allowed to die as it did in the real whale rescue effort. The new title also suggests that the movie is veering toward a "message" that the real miracle is something other than the rescue of the whales themselves. It looks like we are going to learn that the whale rescue was to the thawing of the Cold War what ping pong diplomacy was to opening up China.

While evidently incorporating some added Hollywood Drama (Barrymore's underwater "rescuing" of Bambam the baby whale) I was impressed with how true to the real life event details the trailer evidences. The scene of Ted Danson playing real life Veco Bill Allen where Danson is sprayed in the face by the whale is exactly as it is portrayed in Tom Rose's book upon which the movie is based. Also had to love seeing the 4th Avenue theater's iconic art deco mural that we have all seen for years being left up for background effect in the scene with the governor shaking hands with the Blue Whale mascot. While I see the website cited in the trailer still uses "Everybody Loves Whales," one has to smile at how Universal Studio's having brought back to life the baby whale that actually died in the real rescue certainly qualifies as a "Big Miracle." lol Having read the book and having watched the movie's filming, it is rewarding to see it all come together as well as once again getting to see Drew's trademark impish grin on the screen just like we got to see it here in person during the filming.

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