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Aasif Mandvi on Million Dollar Arm, Barfing Twins, and the American Dream #MillionDollarArmEvent

Lolli — Thu, 22 May 2014 15:01:24 +0000

I was invited to Los Angeles on an expense-paid trip in exchange for coverage of the events that we attended. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Read my other #MillionDollarArmEvent coverage (interviews, movie review, and more) HERE.

Aasif Mandvil blogger group shot courtesy of Louise of Momstart.com

Aasif Mandvi, who plays JB Bernstein’s business partner Aash, gave the movie a comical element as well as a grounding element. Aash was always good for a laugh, but at the same time I felt like his character tied in the importance of family so well.
Here’s what Aasif had to say about playing Aash:

I think he’s funny but he’s also the grounding character, you know. He’s the one that sort of is the counter point to Jon Hamm’s Playboy character. I like that aspect of it. I also feel like it was an interesting character to see a South Asian Sports Agent because I don’t know any, you know.
And then I got to work with Jon Hamm every day who is dreamy so…

Yes, we can only imagine!

Jon Hamm and Aasif Mandvil in Million Dollar Arm – Photo ©Disney

Aasif’s favorite part of filming Million Dollar Arm:

Although Aasif’s character, Aash, doesn’t spend much time in India in the movie, Aasif was still able to take advantage of the India experience. Of all of the scenes in the movie, his experience in India stands out as the best part of making this movie.

It was really actually fun going to India and shooting because, having been born there and having family there and having visited India many times, it’s a whole different experience when you go with an American Film Crew to India. It’s actually the best way to see India – in the bubble of a big Hollywood Production. You don’t have to deal with any riff raff going around, you know, in an Air Conditioned car and stuff.

I got to see the Taj Mahal, which I’ve always wanted to see and never had (the chance).

Scene in India – Million Dollar Arm – Photo ©Disney

I’m with you, Aasif. I’d love to make it to India and the Taj Mahal someday…though I might research cooler times of the year. It looked like it was SO hot!

Working with the babies in Million Dollar Arm:

Aash’s character (and particularly his comic relief) was greatly enhanced by his on-screen kids. We loved learning about what really went on behind the scenes with the twins and hearing his perspective on working with babies! Here’s what Aasif had to say:
Oh the Twins. Well, they had two sets of twins. So it wasn’t the same (set of twins), but you can’t tell because they’re Indian and probably look alike. [LAUGHTER] But if you watch closely, you’ll see that they’re actually two sets of different twins. The twins that I’m feeding in the kitchen are not the same twins that I’m holding on the porch.

Ahh! The porch scene! As Aasif was telling us this story, he had the entire room cracking up!

So we’ve got two sets of Indian parents who have these two sets of twins and they’re, poor things, sort of hiding off in the corner. The kids would just cry. And the (porch) scene was not about these kids crying, and Craig Gillespie, the Director, he was like, you know, kids cry. So let him just cry because there’s no way we could stop them from crying. So Craig’s theory was like every time we see Aash and his children, his children are just screaming. And that’s just the reality of his life. So in the bed, they’re crying. They weren’t supposed to be crying. In the kitchen, they’re crying.

And then, finally is that on the porch, the kids were again, crying and I’m supposed to be holding them, and the kid is literally screaming for his mother. He’s just like, ‘I don’t care about your stupid movie, I want to be with my mom.’ And finally I said to Craig, ‘Listen, I can’t do this anymore. This kid has snot coming out of him and he’s crying. He’s just a mess, you know.’ And Craig was like, ‘Listen we have to get this shot, OK? We need this shot. I don’t care how much…just let the kid cry. I don’t care. Just grab him, walk out onto the porch, we get the shot, we’re done. We’re out of here.’ So I’m like ‘Fine, OK.’ So they roll Action, I grab this kid – it’s like pulling cheese off a Pizza.

So I grab this kid. He’s holding on to me, the hair, everything, and I grab him like, ‘Come on, come on Sweetie, come on.’ And we go running on to the porch and I’m standing there getting the shot. I’m shaking him and then suddenly he looks at me and just pukes. And it’s just all over my clothes. And twice, he did it twice! It’s in the Movie. You can see it. So it’s totally real.

I take the kid, I’m holding him out here like — like an Actor who’s suddenly been puked on and the kid is just puking. He’s just, there’s puke everywhere. It’s all in my clothes, in my hair. But we got the shot.

What was it like portraying a real person?

We were curious how much the real Aash inspired him or helped him in creating his movie character. I was surprised to hear how different the real Aash is compared to the movie version.

Aasif Mandvil in Million Dollar Arm – Photo ©Disney

Well I know Aash. I met him before I did this movie. We have mutual friends and stuff. First, he’s not married. He doesn’t have kids. The real Aash is very different than the Aash in the movie so I didn’t really worry about trying to portray him at all. I just created a character for the purposes of the film because the real Aash is more like JB in the sense of he’s a single guy, you know. He’s a tough guy in San Francisco.

It was interesting to play someone who actually is a real person. I’d never done that before, so now people always want to take pictures of the two of us together, you know. And he’s thrilled because like I said, we’ve known each other for a long time. So it’s exciting for him to have somebody he knows actually portray him in the film. It was good.

Aasif’s new projects:

Aasif is currently doing an HBO Series called “The Brink” with Jack Black and Tim Robbins that will be coming out next year. The Brink is a comedy about the end of the world (think: the world is on the brink of Armageddon). It’s a Geo-Political Comedy seen through the eyes of 3 Departments of US Government: State Department, Foreign Service, and the Military…but it’s a comedy.

Aasif also has a book coming out this Fall called “No Land’s Man.” No Land’s Man (A Perilous Journey through Romance, Islam, and Brunch) is basically humorous essays/stories about his life…from growing up as a kid in England to being a high school student in Florida and then coming to New York for his career.

The message in Million Dollar Arm:

The message that Aasif hopes that people will come away with after watching Million Dollar Arm is that anything is possible.

What I hope people will take the most is the idea of possibility, the idea that anything is possible. It’s the American Dream!

I love that. And anything really IS possible! If you haven’t seen Million Dollar Arm yet, you’ve got to head to the theater ASAP. Just keep an eye out for Aash’s twins…and the porch scene! Check out one of Aasif and Jon’s scenes in the movie:

Check out the fun we have had so far by following the hashtag: #MillionDollarArmEvent

Like MILLION DOLLAR ARM on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MillionDollarArm

Follow MILLION DOLLAR ARM on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DisneyPictures

Visit the Official Site: www.Disney.com/MillionDollarArm

MILLION DOLLAR ARM is in theaters now!

Suraj Sharma and Madhur Mittal Talk About Million Dollar Arm #MillionDollarArmEvent

Lolli — Mon, 19 May 2014 14:59:21 +0000

I have said this already regarding the celebrities that I had a chance to interview for the opening of Disney’s Million Dollar Arm…and I’ll say it again. Never before have stars impressed me so much with their down-to-earth personalities, their off-screen humor, or their friendliness. When we sat down with Suraj Sharma and Madhur Mittal, two of the stars of Disney’s just-released-in-theaters Million Dollar Arm, I was instantly drawn to them. These are two people I want to be friends with.

In Million Dollar Arm, Suraj and Madhur play Rinku and Dinesh (respectively), two 18-year-old boys from India that are recruited by sports agent JB Bernstein to learn and eventually play baseball in the United States. Their story is inspiring and heart-felt, as neither boy had ever played baseball (or even dreamed of traveling to the US) before meeting JB.

“These guys came from nothing and did something wonderful”

Suraj and Madhur at the Million Dollar Arm Premiere, Hollywood Photo credit: ©Disney

Did you have any baseball experience prior to making Million Dollar Arm?

I found it quite interesting that neither Suraj nor Madhur had played baseball prior to the film. Their experience getting ready to film the movie was similar (on a smaller scale, of course) to Rinku and Dinesh’s experience training for their own auditions in front of scouts.

Suraj and Madhur commented (note: a lot of their interview was back and forth between the two of them, and it’s hard to separate exactly who said what, so much of what they said is simply lumped together):

(We had) zero experience in baseball altogether. It was quite hard. We had a lot of fun during training though.

I mean we didn’t know anything and then we were going to try and get all this stuff under our belt real quickly. We had three and a half weeks to do whatever we could do. We had our coaches flown down from the states, as we used to have four hours of baseball every day and we are both quite scrawny boys, still very thin [LAUGHTER]. So we had to put on a lot of muscle, you know. We trained for three or four hours every day and then rest an hour, and then go to the gym for a couple of hours, and strict diet. Yes, it was quite physically challenging, but it helped, because it’s like a blank slate, which was exactly what his character and my character were also going through.

Yes, I also think we had a lot of draw from the fact that we were in the similar situation, like we had a really short amount of time to prepare and then we had to perform on set. These guys they had like 10 months of preparation, and they had to perform. So I think it puts us in a similar kind of mind frame.

Scene from Million Dollar Arm ©Disney

What compelled you to audition for these roles? What drew you to this movie?

Both Suraj and Madhur agreed that one of the most compelling aspects of being involved in Million Dollar Arm was the fact that this was such and inspiring and important story – especially for people in India – to hear that they wanted to make the movie simply to spread the message. Million Dollar Arm – and what Rinku and Dinesh accomplished – inspires HOPE, for kids and adults alike, whether in the US or India or anywhere else in the world. Suraj and Madhur said that they had not heard Rinku and Dinesh’s story, nor had any of their family and friends, a fact that was somewhat upsetting to both. This is a story that deserves to be known!

It just leads you to think that their story really needs to be told, and people need to know this. And other than the fact that it was an amazing feat it just gives you a sense that there’s a whole lot out there that we don’t really realize, opportunity wise. And the amount someone can work in a situation where they don’t know what’s going on and make something out of themselves, is really very inspiring.

What was your favorite scene to film?

Although Madhur mentioned first off that the movie was a lot of fun in general to shoot (“you give us a glove and ball, we would just keep playing all day long”) it’s amusing that the first scene that he mentioned was the scene where they throw up in JB’s car. Suraj was quick to pipe in about that one…“(it was) not fun for me. It stank [LAUGHTER]. They had some really disgusting vegetarian soup. Yes, and it really stank.”

Madhur continued, “It wasn’t really what we were shooting always that made it special, it was just the fact that everybody around us always was seemingly having an extremely awesome time. Amazing time. It was the fact that all that added to the dynamic that hopefully was being set up in front of the frame.”

(back and forth between Suraj and Madhur:)

There were some scenes that were really hard to shoot, like, for example, when we were shooting in India there were some really hot days. 145 degree. 140.

But, you know, they managed to do it. Everybody, kind of, pushed through it all. There were a lot of times when stuff got really hard or complicated for everybody.

Jon probably changed his t-shirt like 20 times.

It was really hot, but people managed. People really did – especially Jon. I felt like he’s got this adaptive feature to him that you don’t often see.

He’s a bit like Rinku that way.

Rinku’s also a little bit that way. You get somewhere and it’s extremely different, and then you just start taking in whatever you can as fast as you can and you slowly start understanding what’s going on, I think. A lot of people in our crew went through that when we were in India and we kind of used that when we went to America, to Atlanta.

Hotlanta [LAUGHTER]. Ya’ll making a movie. It was fun. We had a blast. Good times.

Yes, very good times.

Suraj Sharma and Madhur Mittal in Million Dollar Arm ©Disney

Did Rinku actually do the flamingo stance?

The answer? “Yes, Rinku actually did that. The thing is Rinku and Dinesh were both javelin throwers. So Rinku automatically fell into that same thing. Yes, Rinku is six feet, two inches tall was doing that; the flamingo.”

We were kind of hoping that Suraj would do the stance for us during our group shot, but no luck…

Scene from Million Dollar Arm ©Disney

How did you get into acting?

Finally, we asked Suraj and Madhur how they initially got into acting. I love that, though they both came from India, they arrived at acting from very different paths.

Madhur: Very different stories for both of us. I have been in the business ever since I could remember. I started my career as a Michael Jackson impersonator as a child. Before I was three, you know, I started with Michael Jackson and that’s how I got into the entertainment business and when I was five my whole family they shifted from Agra, where I was born, to Mumbai, just so I could pursue a career in the arts. (I have a) really amazing supportive family. And they struggled and really pushed for me, and I always wanted to be an actor, you know, to be in the movies. So I’ve always had that, I wanted to be an actor and I’ve, kind of, worked and strived hard to be that.

Suraj: For me, I never knew. I never wanted to be an actor, or anything to do with film, it was just more of realization, you know, to some extent I might have not been able to do anything, unless that had happened, because then that just opened my eyes to the fact that, oh, wow, look there is something here that actually I love a lot. And that’s how it began.

It’s very liberating to be on a film set. Like as a child I was very shy, a complete introvert, I mean not the kind of person I am today at all. And even then I remember that I wouldn’t be able to answer questions to people or just be very communicative, but when I was on stage I was a different person. And that’s when I felt the most confident and the most alive, and I felt that this is where I belong and this is what I’m meant to do. This is where I’m meant to be. And I’m sure Suraj feels the same way.

Madhur: Also, I’m very proud to be part of a business where you expect people from all walks of life and, you know, just a tremendous spectrum of people from different cultures who look different and come together and create art. That’s awesome.

Scene from Million Dollar Arm ©Disney

Don’t forget to go see Suraj and Madhur in Million Dollar Arm, out in theaters NOW!

Check out the fun we have had so far by following the hashtag: #MillionDollarArmEvent

Like MILLION DOLLAR ARM on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MillionDollarArm

Follow MILLION DOLLAR ARM on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DisneyPictures

Visit the Official Site: www.Disney.com/MillionDollarArm

MILLION DOLLAR ARM opens in theaters everywhere on May 16th!

MILLION DOLLAR ARM Movie Review #MillionDollarArmEvent

Lolli — Fri, 16 May 2014 15:43:17 +0000

Have you heard? Disney’s newest movie, Million Dollar Arm, starring Jon Hamm, Lake Bell, Pitobash, Suraj Sharma and Madhur Mittal is in theaters NOW! Check out my Million Dollar Arm movie review and head to the theaters with the family this weekend!

I was invited to Los Angeles on an expense-paid trip in exchange for coverage of the events that we attended. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have never been much of a sports fanatic. The extent of my involvement and interest in sports typically extends to driving my kids to practices and cheering them on at the sidelines (even when I don’t really know what’s going on).

But there’s something about sports movies that really get me. What is it about movies based on real-life athletes, games, etc? The answer is simple – They are typically wholesome movies that the whole family can watch together that tell a heart-warming story with a life lesson to be learned (and felt) at the end.

This is the kind of movie that Million Dollar Arm is. It’s wholesome, great for the family, and ends with a fantastic lesson that anyone – athletes or not – can learn from.

I love what actor Jon Hamm said about Million Dollar Arm and “feel-good sports movies” in general (you can read my entire interview with Jon Hamm HERE):

I think, like all good sports films, it’s not necessarily all about the sport. I think if you look at something like The Natural. Ostensibly that’s about baseball or a baseball player. But it’s really about this guy and his life and how it was changed and how it was interrupted and then he got to come back and fall in love and all that other stuff. That’s a movie that if I watch the whole thing, I’m a mess by the end of it.

This movie is like that. It’s a family movie that is set against the backdrop of sports, in particular baseball. But it would be a disservice to it, I think, to just say it’s a baseball movie because for me at least it means much more than that. So, again, back to the first question. That’s kind of one of the reasons why I wanted to do this film.
It just felt richer than just a game where I hope they win the big game at the end. And so that was what I hope we brought through the making of it.

I wasn’t familiar with the story behind Million Dollar Arm before I was invited to attend the premiere in Hollywood. So let’s take a moment and do a little “about the movie…”

About Million Dollar Arm:

Based on a true story, sports agent JB Bernstein (Jon Hamm) finds that business has changed and things aren’t going well for his career. In a last-ditch effort to save his livelihood, he concocts a scheme to find baseball’s next great pitching ace. Hoping to find a young cricket pitcher he can turn into a Major League Baseball star, JB travels to India to produce a reality show competition called “The Million Dollar Arm.”

With the help of cantankerous but eagle-eyed retired baseball scout Ray Poitevint (Alan Arkin), he discovers Dinesh (played by Madhur Mittal from “Slumdog Millionaire”) and Rinku (played by Suraj Sharma from “Life of Pi”), two 18-year-old boys who have no idea about playing baseball, yet have a knack for throwing a fastball. Hoping to sign them to major league contracts and make a quick buck, JB brings the boys home to America to train. While the Americans are definitely out of their element in India, the boys, who have never left their rural villages, are equally challenged when they come to the States. As the boys learn the finer points of baseball, JB, with the help of his charming friend Brenda (Lake Bell), learns valuable life lessons about teamwork, commitment and what it means to be a family.

How it all began:

One of the most rewarding parts of my trip to Los Angeles to see the movie and talk with the actors and real people behind the film was learning about the how the story came to be. The movie really did make me feel like I was on their adventure with them.

In 2007, entrepreneurial sports agent JB Bernstein staged a reality show in India to find promising baseball talents amongst the cricket-loving population. Bernstein says, “The hope was to find the next Yao Ming, except for baseball. Statistically speaking, in a country of 1.2 billion people, the odds are good that you will find an undiscovered raw talent. The hope was to capture all those cricket fans and turn them towards baseball.”

Ultimately, Bernstein found his ball players in Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, and brought them home…literally. The boys became his de facto sons, living in his house as he taught them the intricacies of baseball, as well as the even more mystifying vagaries of American life. For Rinku and Dinesh, coming to the States was tantamount to visiting another planet. Even elevators and drinking fountains were magical and mysterious. JB eventually found that his new, ad hoc family gave him not just pleasure but purpose in life.

Who should see Disney’s Million Dollar Arm:

This movie is for everyone! While it’s not a kid flick and very young kids might not follow the story as well, I can definitely recommend it to anyone. Rated PG. No language. One kiss.

You will love the Million Dollar Arm MUSIC!

One of the things that stood out to me throughout the movie was the MUSIC. The Indian music was contagious! Now that I have the Million Dollar Arm soundtrack, I like to play it at home in the kitchen…and I’ve noticed that whenever I pop it in the stereo, everyone starts dancing. We can’t help it! You can preorder the CD here and get it as soon as it’s released on May 19.

Connect with MILLION DOLLAR ARM (In theaters 5/16/14)

Buy JB Bernstein’s BOOK: Million Dollar Arm: Sometimes to Win, You Have to Change the Game
Facebook: Facebook.com/milliondollararm
Twitter: @DisneyPictures (#MillionDollarArm and #MillionDollarArmEvent)
Tumblr: milliondollararm.tumblr.com/
Instagram: instagram.com/MillionDollarArm
Website: Disney.com/MillionDollarArm

* Photos courtesy of Disney

The Real People Behind Million Dollar Arm: JB Bernstein, Rinku and Dinesh #MillionDollarArmEvent

Lolli — Thu, 15 May 2014 16:06:24 +0000

Sometimes an interview is just an interview. And sometimes, you leave an interview feeling like you have just created a new branch on your family tree. That’s how I felt after sitting with JB Bernstein, Dinesh Patel, Rinku Singh – the real people upon which Disney’s new movie MILLION DOLLAR ARM is based. They felt like family.

I was thrilled to be able to interview JB, Dinesh and Rinku before the red carpet premiere of Million Dollar Arm. Although travel, accomodations, and experiences were covered by Disney all thoughts are my own.

JB Bernstein, RInku and Dinesh with bloggers (Photo courtesy of Louise Bishop of MomStart.com)

How it all began:

In the movie, it shows how sports agent JB Bernstein decided to do “The Million Dollar Arm” contest. We asked if they would say it was relatively accurate to how everything actually began.

JB: Like any idea, I have Business Partners and they were part of the idea-generating but it’s hard to tell a movie from 80 points of view. In reality, my two business partners, Will Chang and Ash Vasudevan, helped us – we kind of were all thinking about these things separately and it wasn’t really until we came together that the idea went from this nebulous fuzzy thing (to a concrete plan) to try to do this Game Show and see if we could find some athletes. So it’s pretty accurate in that it shows the inspirations for things but obviously, I’m not smart enough to come up with this idea by myself.

On being portrayed on the big screen:

We asked all 3 men how it felt seeing themselves portrayed in a movie. Rinku commented in particular about how he felt about Suraj Sharma playing him:

DINESH: This is a big deal for me. I’m very happy and my family is also happy.

RINKU: (Suraj) has done a great job. I mean, he’s not just a great Actor, he’s also a great human. Meeting him as a person, it just really meant a lot how he really was nice. And the way he actually did it, was awesome. I really liked it.

JB commented on what it was like to be portrayed on the big screen by Jon Hamm:

The fact that with everything available to Jon Hamm that he chose to play me is very humbling and surreal. And he gets me really, really well. There are parts of the movie where friends of mine have seen him and go ‘Oh My Gosh, how long did he stay with you?’ And I was like I didn’t meet him until halfway through the filming. So he obviously thought I’m the most trite person ever…or they wrote a great script.

But it was really humbling and he’s become a good friend and someone that I really care about and someone who is just a genuinely good guy. You meet a lot of celebrities in my line of business and you realize they’re just like regular people. Some are very nice and some are jerks and you know, the richer they are, the more free they are to be their true person and Jon is just one of these guys who probably has been the same since he was a kid. He’s the same guy, very even keeled, nice guy and I’m really lucky to have him play me.

I’m sure it was surreal for all of them to relive moments of their not-so-distant past played out on the big screen!

What was it like to learn to play baseball?

RINKU: It really takes some time. Just like, if you took American baseball player and made them become a cricket player, they’d have no idea how to pitch in Cricket, right? So that was totally different world for me coming here and playing professional baseball. Had no idea. It did take a year but I believe that it doesn’t matter what you’re doing in your life if you’re willing to give whatever you got inside and out, you are gonna succeed.

Rinku, Dinesh, and JB Bernstein at the premiere of Million Dollar Arm (Photo credit: ©Disney)

What was that like to leave family and home?

It’s never easy to leave home and family and everything you know. These boys had hardly traveled outside their hometown before leaving for the US. I can only imagine what it was like for them to transition to America – literally everything was new for them.

DINESH: My parents were really afraid by I’m leaving. They said, don’t go because this is the new world for me.

RINKU: We didn’t just leave the family. Besides the family, we left our Culture, Family, Friends, Food…and we were just 18 year old kids. Making that huge decision wasn’t easy for us. What are we gonna do without knowing anything about American Culture? We don’t know language. We don’t know anybody besides JB. And our parents, they were really afraid cause we never went out of the Country.

And that really changes our life, you know. So I’m really proud of the decision I made coming to America. It’s totally amazing. It has changed my life, changed my family’s life, and I wanted to stay here.

Home is always gonna be home no matter what. No matter how happy you are in another country, you’re always gonna miss home. I’m pretty sure that it would be the same for you guys. Doesn’t matter where you live. You always miss your home. For me, being here, I have to be happy. I am happy to be here just ’cause my dream is here. I got my Mom and Dad there and once in a year, I go back to home, get my heart charged, get ready for another year or two.

Dinesh is currently living in India again with his family, but he said, “When I was here, I missed a lot about home. But right now, I’m living in India with my family. I’m happy.”

JB asked, “Do you miss America now that you’re back in India?”

DINESH: Yeah.

JB: What do you miss? Movies? TV?

DINESH: Everything.

JB: Food?

DINESH: Of course. Pizza.

JB: Of all the true parts, that is one of them!

When you see the movie, you’ll know how true the pizza comment is!

Rinku, JB and Dinesh during our interview (Photo courtesy of Louise Bishop of MomStart.com)

Million Dollar Arm: a life-changing experience!

Rinku and Dinesh were not the only people whose lives were changed by the Million Dollar Arm contest. I love what JB had to say:

JB: I’ve been a Sports Agent for 20 years. I’ve never done anything good until I met these guys. You know, Lisa (our publicist) actually got to go to the White House to meet Obama. I was getting married that day.

I would probably speak for all of us when we say that this is a really personal journey for us. It’s not like your traditional business deal that I’ve done and it’s something that obviously a very pivotal point in our life. So you know, our hope is really two things. One is that people take away what these guys have endured and persevered in order to be successful and take away that lesson that dreams are possible in this country more so than maybe anywhere else in the world. Now for kids, to be able to look at Rinku and Dinesh as role models and say ‘Look, if these guys did this, you know, I can do anything.’

It’s that first spark of hope not just for kids in India but for kids here, for kids everywhere. They have these two guys to look at, who have done something that’s never been done in the history of the world, to go from a position of never hearing of the sport. Rinku won his first game 13 months from the day he picked up a Baseball. Dinesh won his first game 14 months from the first day that he picked up a Baseball. And I mean, that’s just unheard of. I mean, I’ve been a sports man my whole life. I’ve been an agent my whole adult life. I’ve never heard of anything like this. I never heard of anybody even thinking something like this could be possible.

And then, for my story, I think that I’m excited for people to realize it’s never too late to change. It’s never too late to be a better person and it’s not that I was a bad person. I think I was somewhat one dimensional. Everybody says, ‘Were you really that big a jerk?’ and I side step that question because I didn’t feel like a jerk at the time. I wasn’t trying to be. I just was very myopic and I think that now, thanks to these guys, thanks to my family, I have a much different view. So I’m kind of hoping that those two things come through to the general audience but it’s exciting to be able after 6 years of negotiating and filming and whatever, to be able to actually finally share this with the world.

Rinku added: “It really opened (kids in India’s) eyes and they are dreaming big now just like we proved to them (that it was possible). They talk about: be like Rinku and Dinesh. We already have done enough to make them realize that if you want to see dreams, see something big. So those kids really seeing their dream in us…”

JB is now the father of 3-year-old Delphine, although he describes that first year with Rinku and Dinesh as a sort of “baptism of fire” into parenthood.

JB: Having Rinku and Dinesh live with me gave me a taste of Fatherhood. It reminded me of the importance of family. It reminded me of the importance of being surrounded by people that you love and that love you. And being able to take pride in other people’s accomplishments. A lot of the rudimentary lessons of life came back into focus, so I think in a lot of ways, I started being a parent, although kind of baptism by fire with these guys.

Million Dollar Arm continues….

Did you know that the Million Dollar Arm contest is still running in India? JB and his team have continued to return to India since 2008.

JB: During our first season, we saw about 38,000 kids. This year we’ll see half a million. I mean, Major League Baseball is now playing a big part in it. We have a lot more muscle to flex than it was me, Rinku, Dinesh, Ash and Will. Not that the 5 of us aren’t formidable on some level. We have a little bit more muscle to flex and a little bit bigger microphone so I’m hoping that we’ll find talent.

There’s a monetary side to this thing. But there’s a social side to it that really none of us saw coming that has really become the primary focus of “Million Dollar Arm” which sound weird for an Agent to say ’cause you know, I’m suppose to be about making money. But this is a unique opportunity we have to have almost a social revolution.

The real events that inspired Million Dollar Arm have not only changed the lives of those invloved, but they are life-changing for those that see the movie. I was deeply touched! And even though I have already seen it twice, I can’t wait to see it again with my family now that it comes to theaters this week!

PS – be sure to join us TONIGHT 5/15 at 8pm ET for the #MillionDollarArmEvent twitter party (JB says he’ll try to make an appearance!)

Check out the fun we have had so far by following the hashtag: #MillionDollarArmEvent

Like MILLION DOLLAR ARM on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MillionDollarArm

Follow MILLION DOLLAR ARM on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DisneyPictures

Visit the Official Site: www.Disney.com/MillionDollarArm

MILLION DOLLAR ARM opens in theaters everywhere on May 16th!

Jon Hamm Discusses Million Dollar Arm #MillionDollarArmEvent

Lolli — Mon, 12 May 2014 15:34:31 +0000

I was invited to Los Angeles on an expense-paid trip in exchange for coverage of the events that we attended. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After seeing a screening of Disney’s Million Dollar Arm starring Jon Hamm, I was beyond thrilled to be able to sit down with him for several minutes right before he rushed off to throw a pitch at the Million Dollar Arm Pitching Contest and then head over to make an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live…and then make it back in time for the tailgate/green carpet party before the world premiere of the movie. Yes, Jon Hamm is a busy man and he took time out of his schedule to chat with our little group of bloggers. Also…have you seen him? Yes, we were quite excited for the opportunity.

On filming in India:

We jumped right in to questions as soon as Jon walked in the room. We asked him what it was like filming part of Million Dollar Arm in India.

Jon Hamm: “It’s not just the heat. It’s literally everything. It’s a completely different culture. And when you learn more about the actual J.B. Bernstein (Jon Hamm’s character in the movie), he had to go through all this and figure out how to do business in this country and figure out how to manage all of this stuff. And there was no guarantee that it was going to work, at all. It was a huge leap of faith. If you speak to him now he’s fairly conversant in Hindi and he’s very much, he’s been doing it for six or seven years now so he’s very much comfortable in Indian culture and, and this was a direct result of this experience that he had.”

I wasn’t familiar with J.B. Bernstein’s story before being introduced to the movie, but I was curious how wide-spread the story actually was (particularly for people into sports, which I typically am not). Jon Hamm talked about his introduction to the story:

I did not know it was a true story at the time (that I learned about the film). It somehow escaped my fairly detailed baseball radar. I am a big baseball fan, but I hadn’t heard of it. So I kind of Googled around and looked up some stuff and I learned about it and I thought, ‘Well this could be not only a fun project to work on as an actor but just fun — I mean we get to go to India and that could be an interesting experience too. I’m very, very glad I did. We’re tremendously proud of the film and also I made some really good friends on it.

On portraying a real person:

Acting on Mad Men, Jon Hamm plays a fictional character, but we wondered what it was like to portray a character based on a true story. Not only was Million Dollar Arm based on real experiences of real people, but those people are still alive (and he knew they’d be watching the movie, too!) We asked, “Do you think there was more pressure on you as an actor to portray somebody like a character based on a true story?”

Jon answered: I would suggest maybe if it was somebody that a lot of people knew (it would be a more difficult challenge). There’s probably a little more pressure on Daniel Day Lewis playing Abraham Lincoln although no one around really knows him anymore. I felt very responsible towards J.B., especially after having met him and learning his story and learning how profoundly this experience changed his life. We tried to tell that in the film. The guy’s life was really changed for the better because of this experience. He did not set out to have some sort of life changing experience. He just wanted to make money. Sometimes that happens. Unexpectedly you just all of a sudden find yourself affected by things and that’s J.B.’s story. So I felt very close to that and I didn’t want to misrepresent him at all, certainly. But he’s given me his stamp of approval so…

How Million Dollar Arm changed Jon Hamm:

The experiences that Million Dollar Arm portrayed certainly did change the life of J.B. Bernstein, but was Jon Hamm effected at all by his experience in India?

Hamm responded: I think all travel is, in general (or should be), kind of life affirming and eye-opening in some way. This was certainly no exception. I’d never been to Asia much less India specifically, so I had no concept of what I was going to see. I mean, we’ve all seen photos of the Taj Mahal but when you actually get there and you’re there in person it’s in 3D.

And it’s the sights and smells and the heat and everything else takes that makes the experience even more worthwhile. I can’t point to anything specifically where I had an epiphany about life, the universe and everything but I did very much enjoy it. I would totally go back in a heartbeat. And it’s such a big country with so many influences that I saw the tip, tip, tip of the iceberg. So I’d love to go back.

Jon Hamm’s favorite scenes in Million Dollar Arm:

I have two favorite scenes in the movie (I’ll share more about those in my movie review coming soon) but we were curious to know what Jon Hamm’s favorite part of the movie was and why. Here’s what he had to say:

There are a couple. Most of the stuff we shot in India was pretty great to film because we were in the dirt and it was really exciting. But there’s a scene, toward the end of the film that I actually really liked shooting as well that’s much more from an acting standpoint. Which is basically when the kids throw J.B. his sort of ‘we’re bringing India to you’ party.

He realizes that they somehow feel like he’s disappointed in them. And the honest truth, and J.B. tells this story as well, is that he felt such responsibility for these kids by that point in their life and their career that the idea of him disappointing them somehow was soul-crushing to him. Like (they) could never disappoint me. That’s impossible. You know, ’cause he’s their dad at that point – a surrogate dad. And the boys are so wonderful in the film and they bring such heartfelt warmth to these characters that it’s the emotion that helps to carry the film. It could be just another movie about sports and feel good and this and that but the emotion that the boys bring to their parts really does carry it into a different world.

Million Dollar Arm – So much more than “just a sports film”

Speaking of sports films, we asked Jon Hamm how he felt that this film is set apart from other sports films that have come along. he answered:

I think, like all good sports films, it’s not necessarily all about the sport. I think if you look at something like The Natural. Ostensibly that’s about baseball or a baseball player. But it’s really about this guy and his life and how it was changed and how it was interrupted and then he got to come back and fall in love and all that other stuff. That’s a movie that if I watch the whole thing, I’m a mess by the end of it.

This movie is like that. It’s a family movie that is set against the backdrop of sports, in particular baseball. But it would be a disservice to it, I think, to just say it’s a baseball movie because for me at least it means much more than that. So, again, back to the first question. That’s kind of one of the reasons why I wanted to do this film.

It just felt richer than just a game where I hope they win the big game at the end. And so that was what I hope we brought through the making of it.

It really is. Million Dollar Arm is so much more than “just a sports movie” – it has a message that will resonate with sports fans and non-fans alike. It’s about family and friendships and priorities.

Many thanks again to Jon Hamm for taking the time to chat with us about his role in Million Dollar Arm! More interviews to come! Be sure to check back for all of my updates in the next couple of weeks…And be sure to make plans to see the movie when it comes to theaters on May 16th!

Connect with MILLION DOLLAR ARM (In theaters 5/16/14)

Facebook: Facebook.com/milliondollararm
Twitter: @DisneyPictures (#MillionDollarArm and #MillionDollarArmEvent)
Tumblr: milliondollararm.tumblr.com/
Instagram: instagram.com/MillionDollarArm
Website: Disney.com/MillionDollarArm

* Photos courtesy of Disney

Million Dollar Arm Premiere at El Capitan Theater #MillionDollarArmEvent

Lolli — Fri, 09 May 2014 15:41:08 +0000

I was invited to Los Angeles on an expense-paid trip in exchange for coverage of the events that we attended. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What an incredible night! The Million Dollar Arm premiere and the extensive red carpet festivities at El Capitan Theater blew me away.

In attendance (among many others) were the stars of Million Dollar arm: Jon Hamm, Lake Bell, Alan Arkin, Bill Paxton, Aasif Mandvi, Suraj Sharma, Madhur Mittal, and Pitobash as well as the real people that the movie is based on: JB Bernstein and his wife Brenda (after seeing the movie, she will always be Miss Brenda!), Dinesh Patel, Rinku Singh, Ash Vasudevan, Tom House, Will Chang and more.

Tom House, Fred Lynn, Adam Dedeaux, Mark Kotsay, David Wells, JB Bernstein, Mark Ciardi, Dinesh Patel, Rinku Singh, Dave Winfield, Rollie Fingers, Eric Davis, Ken Landreaux, Clyde Wright, Kenny Lofton, Jaret Wright, Brandon Otto, Steve Sirko, James Brunswick, Elias Imbert, Josh Dahl, Zackery Neal Watson, Collin Franklin, Blaine Steven Jones, Harrison Russell Pyatt gather at the US Premiere of Walt Disney Pictures’ MILLION DOLLAR ARM at El Capitan Theatre
(Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)

Million Dollar Arm Pitching Contest

The premiere kicked off with a pitching contest where 9 finalists from across the country competed for the chance to win a million dollars and a contract with sports agent J.B. Bernstein. All Finalists received a $500 gift package from Rawlings, a gift package from Under Armour and tickets to the ESPY Awards.

Although none of the athletes made the qualifying 100 MPH pitch to win the $1,000,000, the last pitcher, Joshua Dahl from Glendale, Arizona, pitched 94 MPH (the fastest of the finalists) and was offered a contract by JB Bernstein. It was all particularly exciting because I was standing with Josh’s family. I think they were all more nervous than he was!

Million Dollar Arm star Jon Hamm even threw a pitch!

After the pitching contest, we strolled leisurely down the GREEN red carpet, where there was an exciting tail-gate-style pre-party going on. Hot dogs, soda, pistachios, and donuts. A few of us also tried our arms at the mini no-prize pitching booth. Let’s just say…I wouldn’t have qualified during JB’s India recruitment rounds…

Photo by Shelby OCMomBlog.com

Just announced! See Million Dollar Arm early!

SEE MILLION DOLLAR ARM EARLY! Disney just announced that it has added sneak previews of Million Dollar Arm THIS Saturday, May 10 (a week ahead of the country-wide May 16 release). Be sure to check your theaters to see if there’s a sneak preview in your area.

Many thanks to the premiere sponsors: SUBWAY® Restaurants sponsored the Million Dollar Arm Pitching Contest and the world premiere. Delta Air Lines provided airline tickets for the nine finalists and their guests for the final contest and to attend the film’s world premiere. Other participants adding to the “pre-game” festivities include: Krispy Kreme, Pinks Hot Dogs, Dole Squish’Ems, Coca-Cola, KIND bars and Wonderful Pistachios. They kept us well-fed!

Connect with MILLION DOLLAR ARM (In theaters 5/16/14)

I’m Heading to LA for the #MillionDollarArmEvent #ABCTVEvent #StarWarsRebelsEvent

Lolli — Thu, 24 Apr 2014 15:29:14 +0000

Yes, my upcoming Disney press trip definitely wins the award for #tripwiththemosthashtags. I’m excited to share the news that I will be flying out to LA in just over a week to attend the RED CARPET premiere of Disney’s Million Dollar Arm along with a group of 24 other fabulous bloggers. It shouldn’t surprise you, if you’ve ever followed me on one of my Disney press trips before, that we’ll be doing a TON of additional exciting activities while we’re in LA. Although this is an all-expense-paid trip, all thoughts and excitement are my own!

#MillionDollarArmEvent

The crowning event of the trip will most certainly be walking the red carpet and attending the premiere of Disney’s Million Dollar Arm. If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, check it out now. It looks so good!

About Million Dollar Arm:

Based on a true story, sports agent JB Bernstein (Jon Hamm) finds that business has changed and things aren’t going well for his career. In a last ditch effort to save his livelihood he concocts a scheme to find baseball’s next great pitching ace. Hoping to find a young cricket pitcher he can turn into a major league baseball star, JB travels to India to produce a reality show competition called “The Million Dollar Arm.” With the help of cantankerous but eagle-eyed retired baseball scout Ray Poitevint (Alan Arkin), he discovers Dinesh (played by Madhur Mittal from “Slumdog Millionaire”) and Rinku (played by Suraj Sharma from “Life of Pi”), two 18-year-old boys who have no idea about playing baseball, yet have a knack for throwing a fastball. Hoping to sign them to major league contracts and make a quick buck, JB 4-7-14 brings the boys home to America to train. While the Americans are definitely out of their element in India, the boys, who have never left their rural villages, are equally challenged when they come to the States. As the boys learn the finer points of baseball, JB, with the help of his charming friend Brenda (Lake Bell), learns valuable life lessons about teamwork, commitment and what it means to be a family.

Directed by Craig Gillespie from a screenplay written by Tom McCarthy, Walt Disney Pictures’ drama “Million Dollar Arm” stars Jon Hamm, Aasif Mandvi, Bill Paxton, Suraj Sharma, Lake Bell and Alan Arkin. The producers are Mark Ciardi, Gordon Gray and Joe Roth. The executive producers are Palak Patel, Kevin Halloran, Bill Simmons and Connor Schell.

The film will be released on May 16.

#StarWarsRebelEvent:

We arrive in LA on May the 4th, which, if you weren’t familiar already is STAR WARS DAY, an unofficial fan-inspired holiday based on the famous Star Wars phrase “May the force be with you” (Get it? May the 4th be with you??).

Because we will be arriving to LA on STAR WARS DAY, and in honor of the upcoming release of the all-new animated series STAR WARS REBELS, we get to “join the rebellion” for a casual dinner celebrating all things STAR WARS. While at dinner, we’ll be treated to an exclusive sneak peek of footage from STAR WARS REBELS which will be premiering on the Disney Channel and Disney XD in the fall.

#ABCTVEvent:

Perhaps the most exciting part of the trip for me, coming from a family of Jimmy Kimmel fans, is the chance that we’ll have to attend a live taping of JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! from a VIP room in the show’s theatre! Executive Producer Jill Leiderman will stop by before the show to chat and afterwards, Jimmy’s trusty security guard Guillermo Rodriguez will guide us on a tour of the set!

Next, we’ll get to mix, mingle and chat with the creators/executive producers of a variety of ABC shows about their upcoming season finales & summer premieres AND visit the set of ABC’s sassy summer drama, MISTRESSES, where we will meet & greet with available cast members for interviews.

Of course, I’ll be covering ALL of this on the blog in the upcoming month, but please be sure to follow me on twitter, Facebook, and Instagram from May 4 through May 7. Follow our hashtags (yes, we have a ton of them!) #MillionDollarArmEvent, #ABCTVEvent, #StarWarsRebelsEvent, #MillionDollarArm, #Kimmel, #Mistresses, #StarWarsRebels, #StarWarsDay

#MillionDollarArmEvent Bloggers:

I’m so excited to be joining a fabulous group of bloggers in LA:

ADayInMotherhood.com – Lori
AsMomSeesIt.com – Dusty
Babble.com – Julian
BabySavers.com – Marybeth
Foodfunfamily.com– Me!
BudgetSavvyDiva.com – Sara
CouponMamacita.com – Myrah
CrunchyFrugalista.com – Ashley
KellyStilwell.com – Kelly
KouponKaren.com – Karen
MommysMemorandum.com – Julee
MomStart.com – Louise
MyBoysAndTheirToys.com – Jennifer
NewlyCrunchyMamaOf3.com – Brandy
OCMomBlog.com – Shelby
SassyMamaInLA.com – Yolanda
SweetiesFreebies.com – Lisa
ThatsItMommy.com – Tee
TheITMom.com – Daisy
TheMichiganMom.com – Aly
TheMommers.com – Mary Jo
TheRealFrugalDivas.com – Choya
ThriftyJinxy.com – Chrysa
TrippinWithTara.com – Tara
WheelNDealMama.com – Laura