Blood, Sweat & Laughter - My Night With Drew Barrymore, Part I

OK, so maybe I shared Drew with several hundred others in the audience this evening, but having been a huge fan of this actress since the days of ET, I do feel that tonight was pretty damn cool. For those of you who may have missed my last blog (and really, just scroll down on this page to catch up will you), I attended the Boston preview of Drew Barrymore's new movie "Whip It.". Before going any further, I would like to thank Tom of BostonTweet (bostontweet.com/) for the heads up about the press preview and the premier. Now on to this evening's event.

Prior to the premier, Drew made an appearance at the Artists for Humanity Epicenter in South Boston, where she welcomed members of the New England Roller Derby Circuit and signed autographs for her fans. I arrived early and was able to record some interviews with several ladies active in the roller derby league here in Boston as well as other areas including Rhode Island and NYC. I hope to have these intereviews posted by tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some photos from the event at the Epicenter.

The Boston Derby Dames

Central Mass Roller Derby

Mode of Transportation

Women with Scars are Sexy - Roller Derby Does Have Its Risks

The Crowd Watches a Trailer for Whip It As They Wait for Drew's Arrival

Drew Arrives Looking Stunning

Drew Greets Her Fans and Says Hello to the Local Derby Squads

Drew Accepts a Team Jersey from the Boston Derby Dames

Drew Signs Autographs and Greets Her Fans

After taking some quick pictures at the meet & greet event at the Epicenter, I had to book on over to the AMC Boston Common Theater to make sure I could catch my seat for the movie preview. Thanks once again to Tom at BostonTweet, I was able to secure a very nice seat and enjoy the movie without any hassles or waiting in line. I should have taken a picture of the crowd waiting to get into the preview, but forgot to do so in my rush to secure my seat.

The movie was very good. I wish I could go into more details about specifics of the film, but we were asked not to discuss anything prior to the movie's debut on October 2nd. Suffice it to say that both my girlfriend and I thoroughly enjoyed the film, as did the rest of the crowded theater by the response and applause following the movie. After the credits rolled, Drew arrived for a question and answer session, which I was able to film. Listen closely and see if you recognize the voice behnd the final question of the session.

Drew Answers Questions from the audience following the film.

Part II of this blog will include my interviews with many of the active Derby participants and video of the Q&A Session with Drew after the movie. I need to edit the interviews and convert the video so that I can post it on Youtube. As it is getting quite late, this will have to wait. So come back tomorrow for Part II of my story to hear Drew answer questions from the crowd and learn what inspires these women to literally dedicate blood, sweat and laughter to the sport of Roller Derby.