The ‘SCREAM 2’ Premiere – 25 Years Later!

Scream 2 Premiere

#FBF December 10, 1997, the night I wound up on the red carpet at the “Scream 2” premiere.

Exactly one month after moving to Los Angeles, I was fortunate enough to go to the premiere of ‘Scream 2’ at Graumann’s – then known as Mann’s – Chinese Theater.

I was working as a TV development assistant at Disney and my only friend in LA – a fellow assistant in the department – got 2 passes to the premiere from her friend Paula Patton, Robin Thicke’s future ex-wife/then-girlfriend. Paula was Keenan Ivory Wayans assistant during his short-lived talk show, which was one of our shows. Neither Keenan nor Paula could go, so the passes miraculously wound up in our eager hands.

As assistants, we would normally have to work until 7:30 pm, so we raced to Hollywood from our office in Burbank to make it in time. We didn’t know the event’s parking situation, and this was before the Hollywood and Highland complex/multiplex was built, so we managed to find street parking a few blocks away. As we ran toward the Chinese Theater, PR staff were ushering overflow crowds to the Hollywood Galaxy theaters – now an LA Fitness – a block away.

Confused, we thought we would be sent there too. But our passes were Keenan’s and allowed us to the main attraction. We were directed to quickly go forward.

The next few minutes were a complete blur.

Amid the glare of the lights and flashbulbs, screams of fans and paparazzi, and overall pandemonium of it being my first time at a Hollywood premiere, we found ourselves on the actual red carpet of the biggest A-list event in town – and directly behind David Arquette.

In the above photo, I hadn’t even realized that David was ahead of me. I was still trying to orient myself within the cacophony of the celebrity typhoon I had been momentarily swallowed up in.

The night only got weirder as we wound up sitting right next to Tori Spelling and then-boyfriend/90210 co-star Vincent Young (Noah Hunter!). It was surreal watching the opening scene with Tori playing Neve Campbell’s role in ‘Stab,’ while looking at Tori sitting right next to me. Who am I?

The afterparty was just as wild as the entire “Friends” cast was there supporting Courteney and sat at one table smoking indoors. Fun fact: 3 weeks later, California’s groundbreaking indoor smoking ban would go into effect.

Los Angeles and I have changed so much in the 25 years that followed, but this night always takes me back to a more innocent time in my life and was a complete and total SCREAM.

Can’t wait to see the new sequel this weekend. Hello, Sidney!

PS: I still have that black leather car coat.