>An Affair to Remember

>A few weeks ago, I went to my first-ever red carpet movie premiere and wrote about it here. Well, guess what?

Last night, I went to another one!

It was for Flicka 2, not exactly a blockbuster release, but Punky’s all about the horses and I knew she had to see it. We arrived just in time to see Flicka herself walk down the red carpet while dozens of cameras flashed. Punky went onto the carpet to pet Flicka- she was completely and utterly starstruck. And Flicka seemed to like her, too.

After this once-in-a-lifetime experience, Punky was completely uninterested in all the celebrities that followed Flicka down the red carpet. She only had eyes for the horse. We spent the rest of our time outside keeping an eye on Flicka’s whereabouts. Eventually, Punky felt chilly, so we went inside to the lobby to have drinks and wait for the film to start.

There, I was surrounded by people who acted very famous and important. The women all had professionally-done hair and makeup and weighed about 90 pounds. The men wore designer cowboy gear and funky hairdos. I had fun just people-watching, but I only recognized a few of them- Clint Black, Michael Damien and the great Manuel.

I chatted for a few minutes with a man and his wife about our kids and whether they’d be able to sit through the film. We both had opted to leave our young sons at home. A little while later, I exchanged pleasantries with another woman standing beside me, who was very friendly.

It wasn’t until this morning that I looked at the Tennessean’s photo gallery of the event and realized I’d been talking to American Idol contestant Bo Bice and his wife, and then Louise Mandrell.

D’oh!

So anyway, there I stood, sipping on a Diet Coke and entertaining Punky, when I looked up and my heart leaped into my throat. It was him. Him! I knew he had moved to the area, but had never seen him in person before!

We made eye contact. He smiled. “Hi,” I croaked.

“Hi,” he said. He kept smiling. I’m not much of a picture taker when it comes to celebrities, but I couldn’t pass this moment up.

“Can I get a picture of you with my daughter?” I asked.

“Of course!” he said, looking pleased. “Wow! You two look like twins!”

I blushed and took the picture.

Scott Hamilton. And Punky, who is very confused.

“I actually said ‘It’s an honor to meet you,‘” I told Hubs later. “I said ‘It’s an honor!’ Can you believe it? I have never said that before in my life! I was THIS CLOSE to calling him ‘Sir!'”

Hubs laughed.

“I was just so excited,” I said. “You know, I’ve watched ice skating my whole life and he’s always been there, giving a voice to everything I was watching.” It was true- It was as if he was there with me. We cried together when Nancy Kerrigan skated. We were in total awe over Kim Yu-Na’s gold medal performance. We both clucked when Surya Bonaly did her back flip during warm ups on the ice to freak out her competition. And we were so frustrated when Michelle Kwan couldn’t quite capture that gold medal.

And then of course, there was Scott Hamilton’s own gold medal win in 1984. And his battle back from cancer.

Star struck?

Hell. Yes.

Suffice it to say, my evening was made.

“Punky!” I said after the picture was taken and we’d said our goodbyes. “Remember when we watched that beautiful ice skating every night on TV a few months ago?”

“Yes,” she said.

“That man who took the picture with you was the one who talked while they were skating- He was the one on TV telling us what was going on.”

She gasped. “Now I feel even more nervous!” she exclaimed.

Soon afterward, Punky and I took our seats in the theater. We sat very close to the screen, per Punky’s request. It took forever for the movie to get started because a movie premiere is a very social event and everyone in the theater was very busy… socializing.

“I wish they’d start the movie already,” I murmured to Punky as we munched on popcorn together.

“I know,” she said sweetly, “but all those jerks behind us won’t stop talking.”

That’s my girl.

As for the movie itself, I was a little surprised to find that I actually liked it. The entire family movie genre is one that often dips liberally into schlock, so it was a pleasure to actually enjoy a film that my six-year-old could watch with me. Hubs, who joined us after work just as the movie got started, said the same thing. Punky and I saw the first Flicka together a few weekends ago and I have to say Flicka 2 is far better than Flicka 1. As for Punky? She was in absolute heaven. She was completely enraptured by the film.

“That was the best movie I’ve ever seen in my whole life ever,” she said when the lights went up at the end. “Even when I was three. Even when I was one.”

“Wow,” I said.

“Look, Punky,” Hubs told her. “All the people you just saw in the movie are sitting right behind you.” He pointed to the row of actors behind us and Punky grinned.

“I need to go tell them that they did a great job!'” she said.

And that’s exactly what she did.

Flicka 2 will be out on DVD exclusively at Walmart on May 6th. If you have a little horse lover at home, you really can’t miss this one. We were lucky to get a copy of the movie at the premiere, because I think it’s going to be on continuous play here for the next few months. Flicka has captured my daughter’s heart.

And mine.

The movie was responsible for a night my family will never forget.