The article talks of the “lucky Florida residents” who got a sneak preview of the upcoming film while serving as extras in a concert scene… I was one of the “lucky” ones, along with my friend GhostRider, and must say there are many adjectives that could be used to describe the experience of the extras on the set, but ‘lucky’ is not one of them. However, first the positive.
As has come to be expected from Tom Cruise (Scientology issues aside) he showed why he is one of Hollywood’s most successful actors. Giving it his all on the set, he demonstrated both his talent as well as his commitment to the trade. There is no doubt that not unlike most if not all of his previous projects, he will be triumphant in this film.
Going back to the “lucky” extras; never before have I genuinely felt as both a guinea pig and a sheep, and I share the sentiments of most of the unpaid extras on the set.
It was 12:00 P.M. when GhostRider and I arrived at Sun Life Stadium in north Miami-Dade county. Shortly thereafter we were stripped of our cell phones and other personal belongings, boarded onto school buses and whisked-away on a 20-minute ride to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Broward County. A complete surprise to all as the extras had no prior knowledge of these arrangements, nor of what was in store for us the rest of this long, grueling day. It wasn’t until 11:00 P.M. that we were released (as prisoners are released from jail) and escorted to buses for our ride back to the stadium where we had parked our cars almost twelve hours earlier. For the sake of brevity I’ll skip many of the gruesome details of the day, which are many, except for this one. Following ‘takes’ with pyrotechnics (flames and fireworks) on the set, all extras had to evacuate the arena until the smoke cleared. On the first of these evacuations our group was escorted to a back-of-the-house (dumpster pick-up location) outside the building where we had to make do in 90-degree-plus heat for almost an hour. After the second evacuation no longer was our health a concern for the film crew, as we had to sit for yet another two hours in the smoke-filled arena until our release.
And what did we get in return for our “fun-filled day?” A handful of the ‘truly lucky ones’ got some prizes while another hundred or so got free tee-shirts; whoop-dee-do! As for lunch AND dinner, it consisted of “bags of goodies” with a fruit cup, chips, trail mix, granola bar, bottle of water and Oreo cookies. Not exactly a hearty meal, especially for the “lucky” ones held captive by the production staff of Rock of Ages in south Florida.
Oh, and one more thing, as for film director Adam Shankman, “the gay Jewish boy from Beverly Hills,” as he so proudly introduced himself on the set; everyone should know that in addition to his other “qualities,” he’s also obnoxious.
Refer to story below. Source: Broadway.com
News By Broadway.com Staff July 18, 2011 – 5:10PM
The Rock of Ages film isn’t hitting theaters until June 2012, but thousands of lucky Florida residents got a sneak preview of Tom Cruise as over-the-top rocker Stacee Jaxx while serving as extras in a concert scene filmed on July 18! Director Adam Shankman put out the call on Twitter and Facebook, inviting fans 16 years old and over to come out to Sun Life Stadium dressed in their 1980s best and baddest: big hair, makeup and all black rockin’ clothes.
The “concert,” filmed at the Miami-area venue, featured Cruise rocking out on ’80s classics like Bon Jovi’s “Dead or Alive” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin,” as well as appearances from his co-stars Julianne Hough as Sherrie and Diego Boneta as Drew. The goal, according to the Miami Herald, was to assemble a crowd of 5,000 people for the time-traveling afternoon.
Rock of Ages fans who were unable to attend and are trolling the internet for photos of the event, don’t hold your breath: According to the event’s Facebook page, no cameras/recording devices of any kind are allowed on the Rock of Ages set.
BTW… My research show The Hard Rock Live to be the resort’s 5,500 seat arena, which makes me think the number of extras was maybe 1 thou. Yep, the whole thing was a scam to not only use un-paid extras on the set, but to be able to control and maintain the crowd as you very well could not do multiple takes with the same crowd faces if you have a number of them leaving. The extras were basically kidnapped and at their mercy, as with no cell phones to call anyone, and with the Hard Rock being about a $50 cab ride back to the stadium where the cars were parked. Tom Cruise, now that Katie is no longer a virgin, I hope you have her make it up to me when I’m in LA visiting one of your minsters, Mr. Humberto Fontana, at C.O.S.