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Hollywood's Elite Also Compete For Children's Access To Events

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By BROOKS BARNES, The New York Times

Published: November 8, 2007

LOS ANGELES - The children of Hollywood's elite have always enjoyed perks that flow from their proximity to celebrities and their parents' wealth. If your mother is a Walt Disney executive, you may as well tag along to a Pixar premiere or two.

But a boom in children's entertainment has created a new blood sport in Hollywood: show-business parents fighting to gain early access for their offspring to popular movies and television shows. Indeed, what admission to a private preschool is to some parents in New York, a trip backstage at "Hannah Montana" has become to certain moms and dads in Hollywood.

Crying, begging, bribing. Executives at Nickelodeon, Walt Disney and Warner Bros. say they have seen it all, including entertainment executives and celebrities who deliver the ultimate shock: asking nicely. Diane Nelson, who oversees the "Harry Potter" franchise at Warner Bros., says producers send her gifts (a crystal picture frame stands out) and regularly push for special favors from the books' author, J.K. Rowling, a request she always denies.

"You can never underestimate what people will do for their children," Nelson said. "Nothing is off limits."

Despite the eye-rolling over the access game, though, the studios revel in it and actively encourage it - at least when it comes to the offspring of marquee stars. After all, children walking red carpets with their famous parents, captured by throngs of paparazzi, become a marketing tool.

"It's smart business to have celebrity families photographed at premieres of family films," said Sarah Greenberg, a president of theatrical marketing at Lionsgate. "If Teri Hatcher is there with her daughter, it helps validate the movie as something worth seeing."

Abuzz With Offspring
DreamWorks Animation SKG made certain the red carpet was overflowing with children at the recent New York and Los Angeles premieres of "Bee Movie." Ray Liotta, James Caan and Tina Fey all posed for photos with their children, while Renee Zellweger borrowed a couple. The actress, who provided the voice for one of the film's primary characters, walked the red carpet with her godchildren. (Notably absent from the spotlight: the young children of Jerry Seinfeld, one of the film's creators, and his wife, Jessica.)

Although most of the kids appeared delighted with the experience, some weren't in the mood to help market a movie. Chris Rock's young daughter, for one, covered her face part of the time.

"I want to go sit down," said one of the five children accompanying Mario Van Peebles as he made the rounds.

Some industry parents are hitting the circuit so often, they worry that their children will no longer consider the exclusive tickets special.

"They are kind of getting used to it," said Rob Silverstein, executive producer of "Access Hollywood," referring to his four children. "They'll say, 'Why don't we get to see any stars?' I have to explain, 'This is not a premiere; it's just an advance screening.'"

In the past, blockbusters for the school-age set came along infrequently. Now, there are film franchises ("Harry Potter"); television shows ("The Cheetah Girls,"); live entertainment tours ("Go, Diego, Go Live!"); and teen Broadway musicals ("Legally Blonde"). Tickets for the live concert tour for "Hannah Montana" are so hot that some states have stepped in to police scalping.

Wrangling has already started for the Nov. 17 premiere of "Enchanted," about a cartoon princess who comes to life. For New York's entertainment insiders, "The Little Mermaid" is opening on Broadway Dec. 6.

The flood of new children's entertainment should, in theory, help alleviate gridlock backstage. But the reverse is true, say talent relations employees.

"It has become a circuit for a lot of industry moms and dads," said one Disney executive. "You can't just do one premiere or set visit; you have to do them all."

Kicked To The Curb

Parental one-upmanship was on open display at the unveiling of "High School Musical 2" on Aug. 14. Victoria Beckham, wife of the soccer star David Beckham, secured tickets for their children. But the teenage daughter of Billy Bush, an anchor on "Access Hollywood," got to pose with the movie's stars as they arrived on the red carpet.

Bush's run as parent with the most juice lasted until Cindy Crawford and her brood swooped in - literally, by helicopter.

"I couldn't leave my house before 3, and we wanted to be here," she explained to Bush in a televised interview, calling the helicopter ride "a really good mom of the year" moment. "Cool, right?" she asked.

Did Crawford's 6-year-old daughter, Kaya, agree? "Oh, yes."

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