March 17, 2005 - You always hear about them, read about them or see them on television. They're all the rage, and being invited to one is as elusive as marrying J-Lo. Well, ok, maybe that's not such a hard thing to accomplish these days, but it's still kind of tough. What I'm talking about are cocktail parties thrown by film studios. I was fortunate enough and blessed by the powers up above (the editors) to get to cover one of these. The following is my description of one of these "Hollywood mixers" that was thrown for a sneak peek at the upcoming computer animated feature Madagascar.

The party was being held at the Harmony Gold on Sunset. After arriving at my destination, I make sure I have all the essentials I need for covering something of this magnitude. After a quick once over I put on my person the tools of the trade required for journalism: breath mints, $1 dollar to tip the valet when I'm leaving (hey, I'm not rich) and empty pockets to fill with free stuff (again, struggling artist here).

The entrance to the party is situated so that you can pretty much see what's going on if you were driving down Sunset. It looks like a mini-movie premiere because there's a bit of a line waiting for the girls up front to verify who's who. Security is tight and I almost fumble as I'm pressed with shrewd questioning before I'm let in the door. "Who are you?" I give my name. "Go right in!" Hollywood party security is tighter than the White House. "Just a minute!" says one of the frantic gals at the door. I knew it. It couldn't be that easy. I figure I have to come up with something real quick. Before I drop some names, she simply says, "You forgot your mints."

After maybe twenty minutes of doing the social thing inside, I decide to sample some of the foods. As I turn to plan the path to the other side of the room, I bump into an unsuspecting victim. I apologize for the incident and in return also receive an apology as well, only this one is from Mr. Academy Awards host himself, Chris Rock! I tell him within seconds that I thought he killed as host. "Thanks man, I appreciate that," Rock says. We shake hands as he starts shuffling through the wave of bodies while giving me a look as if saying, "Don't ever bump into me again."

	-Dreamworks Animation Madagascar's main characters

I scan the crowd to see if there are any more famous people. I see a few people who look as if they should be on the WB, meaning they are relatively good looking, and have tons of face makeup, and that's just the guys. Finally reaching one of the food areas, I see a fellow journalist and notify him that we are officially hanging out as a team. As we decide to sample more of the food, Jada Pinkett Smith passes us by. She walks over to a corner where Chris Rock has settled and the two hug and kiss and start laughing up a storm.

A waitress comes over and offers some wine to us, a petite hand reaching up from under the tray and takes a glass. "Drink up guys," says the voice from the under the tray. "Free drinks." The waitress walks away, revealing the identity of the voice, Jeffrey Katzenberg. He then turned and walked towards Pinkett and Rock as the three formed a protective shield from the rest of us "regular" people.

	-Dreamworks Animation Another shot from Dreamworks' Madagascar

An announcement was made to take our seats for a presentation in the auditorium. I made my way in and found a seat. The lights slowly dim and we are thanked for attending by Mireille Soria (Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron) and she introduces us to her producing partner, Teresa Cheng. Soria continues, stating that Madagascar is a story about friendship, the ones we already have and discovering new ones as well. After also introducing the directors of the film, Eric Darnell (Antz) and Tom McGrath, she presents Jada Pinkett Smith (She plays the Hippo) to the audience. Pinkett gives a few comments about how she loved working in the movie and really enjoyed the whole process. Next up is Chris Rock, who takes the stage to wild applause. Little did anyone know I practically wrestled Rock in the lobby.