What a day!!
So far Wednesday has been absolutely jammed packed with new adventures. Waking up to the sun rising over the Hollywood sign, meeting the actors from the movie, even navigating the impossible Los Angeles traffic; all of it has made a lasting impression.
First thing this morning, we headed to our sister station, ABC7 in Glendale. By 9 o'clock it was 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Perfect weather for my live hit in the WAAY 31 11 o'clock news. The crew from ABC7 was amazing and the hit was flawless.
From there we headed back into Beverly Hills to the Hallmark offices on Sunset Boulevard. I met with two of the actors from A Smile as Big as the Moon, 21 year old Jimmy Bellinger and 22 year old Logan Huffman. Both of them played special needs teens in the movie. I expected Hollywood egos, but instead found two very down to earth gentlemen with incredibly big hearts and a true desire to get the movie's message across.
Bellinger plays the character of "Matt" in the film. Matt has Asperger Syndrome and struggles to fit in socially. Although he is gifted in academically, Matt suffers severe anxiety when put into over stimulating social situations. Jimmy said he spent time with teens struggling with the disorder to get insight into the day to day struggles and mannerisms of his character. Bellinger says A Smile as Big as the Moon has a significant message. He says that assuming someone can't do someone just because they are different isn't okay. In fact, he says encouraging those who may not fit the standard socially acceptable stereotype gives them the ability to achieve things they may not have ever dreamed possible for themselves.
Huffman's role in the movie is a character named "Scotty." Scotty doesn't feel he belongs in the Learning Disabled classes and bullies the other kids. But Huffman's character eventually evolves into a leader and accepts his differences, not as negatives, but as positive strengths. Huffman says he identifies with Scotty because he too struggled to overcome a learning disability as a child. Huffman is dyslexic and says fitting in during his childhood was difficult. He hopes the movie will teach kids to embrace their differences and understand that each person's uniqueness is what makes them beautiful.
After my interviews at Hallmark, I headed to the 20th Century studios in Century City to prep for tonight's red carpet arrivals. Traffic once again decided to make my day more challenging and my laptop wouldn't cooperate come showtime for the 4 and 5 o'clock news. But, sticking with today's theme, I'm going to triumph over that adversity, defy the odds and somehow get red carpet ready in the next hour.
I'm also determined to corner John Corbett tonight. He stars in the movie and has been elusive my entire visit. He won't get away tonight.
Until then, more pictures and updates on my
WAAY 31 Facebook page & on Twitter;
@sheamallen27
