Tinseltown
B Y H I L A R Y H AT T E N B A C H
Out With The Olds WHEN HOLLY WOOD TRIED TO S W EEP CO M EDY L EG EN D SHELLEY BERMAN UNDER THE R U G , H I S R ED C A R P E T H A N D L ER TO O K A S TA N D
38 L A M AG.C OM
A L O N E LY S T R I N G of blinking lights tacked to the side of a cubicle signaled the impending arrival of Christmas. Well, that plus the dark circles under the eyes of every employee in the film marketing department at Universal Pictures. It was December 2004, and our team had been working tirelessly to promote the upcoming release of Meet the Fockers—the hotly anticipated sequel to Meet the Parents, starring Barbra Streisand, Dustin Hoffman, Ben Stiller, and Robert De Niro. On the Monday before the movie’s red carpet premiere, I received an email from my friend Jeff, a senior VP of publicity at Universal: “I know how much you love the old-timers, so I nominated you to accompany Shelley Berman down the red carpet at the premiere this Thursday. You’re welcome.” I L LUS T R AT E D B Y JA S ON R A I S H