Julia Roberts Eat Pray Hide At Own Premiere
Julia Roberts went on a spiritual journey for the movie,”Eat Pray Love.” The journey ended at the swanky Metropolitan Club on Fifth Avenue last night where Columbia Pictures threw an invite only lavish after party for Roberts, director Ryan Murphy, the cast and miscellaneous celebrities.
And what did Julia learn from finding herself and communing with swami’s and gurus? While the guests partied downstairs in the famous club, Roberts threw herself a private gathering upstairs, in a room blocked by bodyguards. She took the whole cast hostage, as well as Julian Schnabel, Josh Brolin (who brought his 16 year old stepdaughter Eleanor–Diane Lane‘s daughter with Christopher Lambert), and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam.
Call it “Eat Pray Love Hide.”
It was quite a scene watching various people trying to get past the guards and into the room. Former New York Times movie reviewer Elvis Mitchell was turned away, but eventually gained entry. Two young women had to send someone in to find actor co-star Billy Crudup, who finally came out to say hello. The movie’s main producer left his family outside the party and kept running in and out to be with them.
The most glaring snub: Elizabeth Gilbert, the best selling author of “Eat Pray Love” was left way downstairs and far away from Roberts’ soiree, with her own guests.
Roberts did spend about five minutes in the main party room. But as she and her posse–including husband Danny Moder–were hurried out and away from the dreadful real people, Roberts said, to no one in particular, “That’s so tacky.” A lot of the real people heard her say it.
Vedder and Brolin hung out l0ngest in the main room, and each were funny and polite. Bardem and Schnabel would have stuck around longer, but they were summoned by publicists who arrived with Roberts’ invitation. Gilbert was totally excluded.
I tried in vain to find Jennifer Salt, daughter of the late legendary screenwriter Waldo Salt. Jennifer, who once starred on “Soap” as Eunice Tate, is herself a fine scripter who faithfully adapted “Eat Pray Love” from Gilbert’s memoir.
But I did run into director Ryan Murphy, now famous for TV shows “Glee” and “Nip/Tuck.” Ryan used to write for me in the 1980s at Fame magazine, and wrote a column for US Weekly. He authored the famous Entertainment Weekly interview with Alec Baldwin in which Baldwin called Jeffrey Katzenberg “the eighth dwarf.” http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,314345,00.html His Hollywood ascent is a great success story!
The only members of the “Eat Pray Love” gang not in attendance were Viola Davis and James Franco.
There was a heavy turnout from CAA for Roberts and Murphy–both Kevin Huvane and Richard Lovett.
Sony/Columbia is counting on the “Eat Love Pray” readers turning out at the box office. The studio is on the upswing right now with Will Ferrell’s big hit “The Other Guys” and “Salt,” “Grown Ups,” and “The Karate Kid.” It’s been a hell of a year so far.
But “EPL” definitely cost a lot. With Roberts’ salary and the locations in Italy, Bali, and India, this is a $100 million movie. Gilbert told me she loved the adaptation. It’s more than likely that the book’s readers will, too.
The movie does suffer–at least for men–from a lack of purpose. When men want to “find themselves” we use GPS. Women may identify with Gilbert’s journey, which looks like it cost a million dollars. She suddenly has no interest in being married to her husband, played by Billy Crudup. So she ups and leaves. He’s not cheating on her or abusing her. He’s perfectly nice. But she dumps him, then traipses around the world complaining about it all. She doesn’t become altruistic, or charitable, or politically active. But she always looks great.
I really got a kick out of Julia Roberts on “Letterman” recently. She was charming. And often in “EPL” that charm comes through. But just as often Roberts seems to be fighting the demons of “Liz Gilbert” (as written, not the real person). Women may want to see that on screen,and join her on that trip. This is a movie we will be seeing on Lifetime, OWN or We for decades to come.
PS We’ve been at parties at the Metropolitan Club honoring Meryl Streep, Clint Eastwood, Diane Keaton, Jude Law, Robert Downey Jr--dozens of A list celebrities. This was the first time ever that a private party was given upstairs and the stars were isolated. Mark it down in your books. A first.
I never liked her. Her moth goes past the outside of her eyes. He has a ratlike nose, average eyes. She’s the same in every role except Erin Brokovich and she treated her like dirt too. I think Sandra Bullock is better and will now be getting julia’s roles as she should. Julia thinksof Sandra as some sort of bumkin. Surprise surprise, huh Jules? Of course I won’t watch. The last thing I saw her int hat I liked was that Denzel Washington Grisham movie 15 years ago. I couldn’t even bring myself to watch Clive and her int he last bomb and I LOVE me some Clive, but not even he’s worth it.
Personally? I’ve never gotten the appeal of Julia Roberts, and her big horsey teeth.
She was so, so wrong in ‘Pretty Woman’ … the most unbelievable street hooker in history.
Her brother Eric can act rings around Julia.
I refuse to see any movie with her in it. She’s not pretty, and she can’t act her way out of a paper bag.
Eric Roberts is the talented one in that family.
I’ve always had the impression that Julia Roberts is labeled as a great ‘guy’s girl’ who can be a lady or a broad or a friend without all the fluff some women exhibit. However, I’ve never bought that story. She acts like a stuck-up sorority sister, trophy wife, perfect wife with absolutely nothing real or heartfelt for anyone but herself. And I do not find her toothy grin endearing, it just looks like what happens if you don’t wear your retainer after the braces come off. Not a fan.
Update: Elizabeth Gilbert went to the most expensive exotic places because it was already paid for by Viking publishing. How authentic can Gilbert’s journey be -particularly when she’s been funded by a publishing house before the actual journey. You do know that Elizabeth Gilbert’s “trip” was paid for by Viking, right?
I guess this isn’t unusual, to pitch a story idea and then go live out the story… but then again, where’s the line between authentic and contrived, especially if you’re expected to write a book by the end of it?
Eat, Pray, Love would be authentic if she wasn’t loaded whne she embaked on her journey. Who wouldn’t travel for a whole year if they had the money to do it. She lived as a tourist in those countries – stayed in a luxery apartment while she complained about her depression and ate the most expensive, best Italian foods in he most expensive city of Rome, Italy, and did the same in Bali and India – didn’t have to worry about a thing. What is there to complain and be depressed about? Seems the basic premise of the book was the fact that she felt stifled in a marriage and didn’t want to have children and was tired of living an empty fake life. Whoop dee doo. Elizabeth’s husband didn’t cheat or abuse her in any way – perhaps this caused her to become completely self absorbed and spend a lot of money to embark on spending some time alone in exotic expensive wonderlands. Did she go to central america or vietnam? No, she went to the most expensive, extravagant exotic places in the world and stayed in the finest of luxury. But she tells a good story and people seems to buy it. Now it makes Julia Roberts all the more richer, rich in her inflated ego and bank account.
And the real heros of the world are celebrated……how..?
I have never liked Julia Roberts.
There are a lot of actors/actresses that I respect, but I can’t stand her. She annoys me.
Put her in the same category as Jen Aniston. Two actresses who bore me to tears.
Tacky? I thought it was a bit TACKY that she stole a married man and wore that TACKY shirt about his ex.
What a loser.
what a bitch. Saw her on letterman and she acted as if the show was called the ‘letterman and Julia’ show. Maybe if she got over her self alittle, and took a break? might bring back the appeal that she once had. Damn Bardem and viola and all the other fantastic actors for being in this movie because I’m all about supporting these guys but her, hell to the no!
I honestly do not see the appeal of Julia Roberts. Never did. Never will. Whenever she does interviews, she gets in at least 1 ‘big word’ to prove she is intelligent. She has no education, talent, or beauty. Let’s hope her ride is coming to an end.
She sounds pretty yucky. I wonder if her husband notices it all. Someone just dropped off the book and now that I heard Gilbert’s trip was all paid for up front I really can’t be bothered. It all smacks of so much materialism.
NO SURPRISE. Julia Roberts PR puts out this ‘girl next door persona. SHE is not. SHE is another one of those self important vacuous ‘actresses’. No matter her talent hasn’t grown since MYSTIC PIZZA. She is looking more like her brother these days, so her ride may be coming to an end.
Wow, after reading this, I’ve come to the conclusion that casting picked the perfect person to play Gilbert. Read the book and hated it. Nothing but a story about a whiny,self absorbed woman in crisis. I found nothing feel good about her story. After reading the horrible reviews on her follow up book, I decided to skip it, because Gilbert is apparently even more whiny and self absorbed in that one than the first! Anyways, glad Julia found the party tacky, wonder is she thinks it’s tacky when these same people hand over their hard earned money to see her crappy movies, so she can draw that huge salary? Doubt it.
Wow, bad form Julia…….guess playing this part didn’t really teach you anything about finding yourself did it? You’ve worked hard, and you deserve kudos for your success, but snubbing your nose at all those “tacky” people just exposed you for the kind of person you really are. Sad, I won’t be able to watch one of your flicks with the same amount of enjoyment, that is, if I ever do watch one of your flicks again.
Julia Roberts needs to remember that if it wasn’t for “ordinary people,” she wouldn’t have become American’s Sweetheart. Either way, it’s always disappointing when a favourite celebrity of mine, turns out to be mean and rude. I hate it.
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Love this post – best one of yours I’ve read, Roger! Well-written, wittily written, made me laugh.
The fact that Elizabeth Gilbert wasn’t welcome at Roberts’ inner-sanctum gathering is not at all surprising to anyone who may remember that, in 2001, Roberts never even mentioned the real Erin Brockovich when she accepted an Oscar for the movie of the same name, based on Brockovich’s heroic environmental quest.
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Thank you for once again exposing Julia to be above it all. She drives me nuts and I hope the movie bombs.
While everyone else is applauding Steven Slater, I will be applauding you. Well done!
Seems to be a movie where it’s all about “me” and why care about anybody else.
“When men want to “find themselves” we use GPS.”
HAHAHA
I don’t get the appeal of Julia Roberts.
Never liked her.
I have no interest in seeing this movie.
Can’t stand her horse laugh. eeks
I would not go see anything Julia Roberts is in. Now, Bardem, thats another story. He seems to be a very nice man.
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