Paying The Piper

As previously noted in this space, I shall be attending the “Serenity Blogger Bonanza” advance screening of Serenity. I received a confirmation email this morning informing me that:

To significantly increase your chances of getting into the screening, you MUST do the following:
· You MUST include the film’s synopsis on your blog (synopsis below) and you MUST link your blog to the SERENITY website (which has the trailer and production notes) and featured artwork. After you have screened the film, please discuss it on your blog. Please provide us the links to all of your blog posts on SERENITY
· Print out and bring a copy of this confirmation.
· Arrive at the theater AT LEAST 45 minutes before the show begins.
· Upon arrival at the theater, please find a UNIVERSAL PICTURES representative and inform him or her that you are part of the SERENITY BLOGGER BONANZA. The Universal rep will then instruct you as to what to do next.
· DO NOT bring in a camera or a cellular phone that takes pictures. They WILL be confiscated, and you will NOT be allowed into the screening.
· Have a great time!

Drat. I was hoping to grab some pictures of the scads of people sure to be dressed in brown overcoats. I’ll have to see about the cellphone thing, though – would hate for my wife to go into labor mid-screening and have me unawares. Maybe I’ll take her camera-less phone instead…
I’ve obviously taken care of the “link to the Serenity site” requirement, but for completeness’ sake, I’ll post the official synopsis, verbatim:

Joss Whedon, the Oscar® – and Emmy – nominated writer/director responsible for the worldwide television phenomena of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE, ANGEL and FIREFLY, now applies his trademark compassion and wit to a small band of galactic outcasts 500 years in the future in his feature film directorial debut, Serenity. The film centers around Captain Malcolm Reynolds, a hardened veteran (on the losing side) of a galactic civil war, who now ekes out a living pulling off small crimes and transport-for-hire aboard his ship, Serenity. He leads a small, eclectic crew who are the closest thing he has left to family –squabbling, insubordinate and undyingly loyal.

Meh. Firefly/Serenity deserve so much better in terms of PR than that load of hogwash. Whedon and crew seem to be succeeding despite Universal’s best efforts, as the sold-out advance screenings and PR junkets like this Blogger Bonanza show. Then again, “Gunsmoke in space with some Buffy thrown in” probably isn’t the easiest thing for paid corporate PR flacks to put into paragraph form.
All you need to know is that Serenity is 85% likely to rock. Heh.