Tempe wins Wolverine premiere
This just in. Pittsburgh will not get the premiere of "Wolverine," although folks here gave it their best shot. Here's the release from Fox;
LOS ANGELES, (April 20, 2009)....In a hard-fought contest stretching over thousands of cities and towns across the Unites States, Tempe, Arizona has emerged triumphant in its far-reaching, citywide bid to nab the world premiere event of X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, on April 27.
The announcement caps a frenzied two-week period in which entrants launched innovative and viral campaigns, urging fellow residents to enter the Hometown Premiere contest by marking their town with a digital "X" on a special contest website. In each locale, schools, businesses, and of course X-Men and Wolverine fans, joined forces to create special videos posted on YouTube, as well as websites urging residents to enter the contest.
Tempe accumulated the most "X's," narrowly beating out Davis, California in a hard-fought battle to bring home a major "Hollywood" style event.
The "Origins" of the event came from Hugh Jackman, who plays the famed antihero in X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE. Jackman wanted to express his appreciation to the fans by hosting the premiere, in which he will bring the movie and a few of his "friends and enemies" from the film to Tempe. In addition to the stars and filmmakers, the event will have all the other trappings of a mega-Hollywood premiere, including the red carpet, klieg lights and media coverage.
X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, the first chapter in the X-Men saga, unites Wolverine with several other legends of the X-Men universe, in an epic revolution that pits the mutants against powerful forces determined to eliminate them. Twentieth Century Fox releases the film everywhere May 1st.