When I became “The Rock Father” upon the birth of our first daughter back in 2009, I had no idea that being a parent and launching what would evolve into THE ROCK FATHER™ Magazine would actually be the catalyst to pull me back into – and keep me in – a realm that I’d had some adventures in before: the world of movies and television. It’s where I belong, and completely weird how things go full-circle. My first gig as an entertainment writer was way back in 1992 (23 years!), and even through countless reinventions and “past lives,” I’ve been covering press junkets for a very long time. But when I first paid a visit to Los Angeles, in what truly does seem like “a lifetime ago,” I was there as many, if not most, are – as a screenwriter and actor. Those pre-parenting adventures – speeding down the Sunset Strip in my dear, departed friend’s Cadillac while blasting MOTLEY CRUE (seemed appropriate at the time)… singing Sinatra while doing karaoke in Burbank (and subsequently jumping off the stage)… and taking fruitless studio meetings (for what eventually became a comic instead of a film)… all somehow led here – to my life as a “grownup.” Pop Culture is my passion, and thanks to a few folks like my friends at The Walt Disney Disney Company, I’m fortunate to be able to head back to Los Angeles a few times a year to cover and bring back news and features on some of the coolest projects out there. This week, I’m goin’ back to Cali again, and at the center of the adventure is MARVEL’s ANT-MAN, and that’s just the start…
From June 25-27, I’ll be in Los Angeles alongside 24 other familiar faces from the online realms of family, entertainment and lifestyle. There we’ll meet up with the team from The Walt Disney Company, MARVEL Studios, Disney Channel and Disney XD to bring you an inside look at some upcoming films and shows – and you’re invited to follow our adventures through your favorite social networks (Instagram and Twitter are mine).
2015 #RockFatherTour – Los Angeles | June
MARVEL’s ANT-MAN (follow #AntManEvent): ANT-MAN may be an obscure hero, but so were the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, and we all know how that turned out. Will the 12th entry into the MARVEL Cinematic Universe (and final film in Phase Two) be as big a breakthrough? I’ll get an inside look during a screening of the film just ahead of its official “World Premiere,” then get some time to sit down and chat with Paul Rudd (Scott Lang/Ant-Man), Michael Douglas (Hank Pym), Evangeline Lilly (Hope Van Dyne), Corey Stoll (Darren Cross/Yellowjacket), Michael Pena (Luis), T.I. (Dave), David Dastmalchian (who I’ve actually met before, as Kurt) and Director Peyton Reed. ANT-MAN opens in theaters everywhere on July 17th!
Disney’s DESCENDANTS (follow #DescendantsEvent): What happens when the children of some iconic Disney Villains are welcomed into the kind Kingdom of Auradon? That’s what audiences will discover in DESCENDANTS, no-doubt the most-anticipated film of the summer for Disney Channel. All signs point to this one being BIG, with the DVD hitting the streets the day the film makes it’s television debut (July 31), a full line of spin-off books on the way, and a collection of dolls by the folks at Hasbro. We’ll check out a screening of the film and bonus features, followed by a Q&A with Director Kenny Ortega (HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 1 & 2).
LIV AND MADDIE (follow #LivAndMaddieEvent): There’s a good chance we’ll be meeting a couple of DESCENDANTS (Dove Cameron and Cameron Boyce) when we head over to Hollywood Centre Studios to visit the set of LIV AND MADDIE. The musical series is currently in it’s second season, and spawned a popular soundtrack that was released earlier this spring.
GAMER’S GUIDE TO PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING (follow GamersGuideEvent): It’s Boyce that toplines this new series about a professional gaming whiz-kid that has to enroll in public school for the very first time, making him use his gaming skills to work the social realities of life without pixels. We’ll be meeting with talent from this one (TBA).
BUNK’D (follow #BUNKDEvent): In this JESSIE spinoff, Emma, Ravi, and Zuri Ross have left their New York penthouse for a summer at Maine’s rustic Camp Kikiwaka, where their parents met as teenagers. Now CITs (Counselors In Training), they must learn the ropes from the overly cheerful head counselor Lou and the camp heartthrob, Xander. Zuri makes new friends with two younger campers, the uptight Tiffany and compulsive fibber Jorge. The camp’s owner is Gladys and she’s even scarier than the legendary creature that’s rumored to stalk the grounds, and with help of her sneaky niece Hazel, she’s out to get the Ross kids because of her decades-old rivalry with their mom. Along with their new friends, Emma, Ravi and Zuri adapt to their new “home away from home” and settle into their exciting new lives at Camp Kikiwaka. Like GAMER’S GUIDE, we’ll be meeting with some talent from this show – TBA!
Now here’s where you, my friends, come in: Do YOU have questions about any of the projects or talent listed above? This is your chance for answers, as I will do my best to bring them back! Leave your questions below…
