George Clooney and Renee Zellweger!!!
Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 7:02 pm
Before everyone goes crazy, let me start with a bit of backstory.
Last summer, George Clooney and Renee Zellweger filmed a movie called 'Leatherheads' in Salisbury, NC, which is about five minutes away from my house. I attempted to get some autographs during filming, but the security guards would not let me anywhere near the set. 
Now that the movie is finished and is about to release, Universal set up a "Whistle Stop Express" tour to promote the film, with George and Renee stopping at four meaningful cities to the film. One of the stops happened to be Salisbury! I didn't know what to expect, especially as the local paper was instructing fans on where to stand to be able to "catch a glimpse" of the stars. They were supposed to ride a train into the depot, then get off and go inside for a press conference. This was supposed to occur at 11 AM today.
Obviously, I decided to go and try my chances. When we (my mom and I) arrived at 9:00 AM, only a handful of people were there, so I grabbed a spot in the front row. The promoters were giving out posters, T-shirts, and hats to people that had arrived early, so I got all three. By 11, the crowd had grew to about 500 people packed like sardines. 500 may not seem like a lot, but for our little town it is.
To my surprise, George and Renee spent about an hour signing autographs for everyone in the crowd! They were both extremely nice and friendly, and I got a poster signed, while my mom got a poster and two pictures signed.
I took a ton of pictures, some of which are below... You'll have to check out the album for some more and high-res versions of these shots.









Overall, it was a great experience that I won't soon forget! {thumb2}
Joel


Now that the movie is finished and is about to release, Universal set up a "Whistle Stop Express" tour to promote the film, with George and Renee stopping at four meaningful cities to the film. One of the stops happened to be Salisbury! I didn't know what to expect, especially as the local paper was instructing fans on where to stand to be able to "catch a glimpse" of the stars. They were supposed to ride a train into the depot, then get off and go inside for a press conference. This was supposed to occur at 11 AM today.
Obviously, I decided to go and try my chances. When we (my mom and I) arrived at 9:00 AM, only a handful of people were there, so I grabbed a spot in the front row. The promoters were giving out posters, T-shirts, and hats to people that had arrived early, so I got all three. By 11, the crowd had grew to about 500 people packed like sardines. 500 may not seem like a lot, but for our little town it is.

To my surprise, George and Renee spent about an hour signing autographs for everyone in the crowd! They were both extremely nice and friendly, and I got a poster signed, while my mom got a poster and two pictures signed.
I took a ton of pictures, some of which are below... You'll have to check out the album for some more and high-res versions of these shots.
Overall, it was a great experience that I won't soon forget! {thumb2}
Joel
