Food Fun Family

Family Game Night Makes Any Day a Very Good Day #VeryBadDay

Lolli — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 02:46:59 +0000

We received some of the products mentioned in this post to host a family game night (and movie night) in honor of the Blu-ray release of Disney’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day on Blu-ray 2/10. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Some days are just terrible. Horrible. No good. You get the picture.

But I’ve come to the conclusion that there aren’t too many bad days that a little family time can’t repair.

The older my kids get, the harder it is to carve out family time together that doesn’t take place in the minivan. We try to eat dinner together every night, but sometimes that’s all we get (and sometimes family dinner time is a tough one to manage, too).

So every once in a while we have a family night. We play games, we talk, we laugh. We almost always eat something sweet. Sometimes, get together with another family to make game night a little more interesting.

This past week, we took family game night to a whole new level, and turned a stressful week into something much more pleasant.

Dare I say…fun?!

And after we played games together, we grabbed our bowls of ice cream (in honor of Alexander’s fateful bowl of birthday ice cream) and headed downstairs to watch our brand new copy of Alexander and the Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Because the best way to relax with the family is when you can laugh together.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day on Blu-ray

Available on Digital HD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, Disney Movies Anywhere and On-Demand starting February 10th.

My family and I all loved seeing Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day in the theaters (I saw it 3 times!) and so we were thrilled to watch it again at home. Since my sister and brother in law hadn’t seen the movie yet, we actually had a second movie night…and they laughed so much (we all laughed!). We’re excited that it’s finally available on Blu-ray so that we can watch it at home. Just tonight, my 9-year-old was quoting from the movie. I think he’s seen it more than a few times already.

What we love about Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day:

We love that it’s a fun movie that the whole family can enjoy.

We love that it’s a little bit crazy but totally relatable at the same time.

We love laughing together. It’s therapeutic.

We love the message in the end – that “you gotta have the bad days so that you can enjoy the good,” and that family really is the most important thing. I love that they all chose to stand by each other in the end.

Have you seen Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day? If you didn’t have a chance to see it in the theaters, take our lead and plan a fun family night…with games, ice cream, and a movie. You’ll love it!

Products featured in our family game night:

Alexander and the Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day [Blu-ray]
LEGO Sydney Opera House
Inflatable Alligator Ring Toss Game
Glow In The Dark 3D Alligator Puzzle
Bananagrams (an old family favorite)

Tokyo Wako from Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day #WW

Lolli — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 23:53:24 +0000

While I was in LA on the #VeryBadDay press trip last month, our group of bloggers ate dinner at Tokyo Wako, where the famous restaurant scene from Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day was filmed. Although travel, accommodations and activities were included (including this dinner) all thoughts are my own.

You’ll have to excuse the quality of my photos. I was so tired at the end of my amazing press trip that I decided to leave my big bag inside the van and enjoy a dinner “disconnected.” Of course, I wasn’t able to resist the urge to take some pictures of the dinner and the ambiance. Although these photos were taken in horrible lighting, it’s still fun to look back on them. The dinner was incredible, the service was amazing, and the presentation was the best part of it all. I was pretty pleased with the company, too. After dinner, we were able to meet the real Tokyo Wako chef who threw the shrimp into Steve Carrel’s mouth. Those are some talented chefs!

Check out my other #VeryBadDayEvent posts (interviews, activities, and more)!

An InLinkz Link-up

Disneyland at Halloween Time #HalloweenTime #WW

Lolli — Wed, 15 Oct 2014 01:54:13 +0000

While I was on my Los Angeles trip a few weeks ago, I was able to fulfill a life-long dream to visit Disneyland at Halloween Time. Disney gave us tickets to enjoy the day at Disneyland as part of our #VeryBadDayEvent | #DisneyAtHomeEvent. Although travel, accommodations, and activities were covered by Disney, all thoughts are my own.

Disneyland is magical place any time of the year, but it is even MORE magical at Halloween. Maybe it has something to do with earthy oranges and browns and reds and yellows – my favorite combinations of colors. #HalloweenTime was gorgeous to see and so much fun to experience.

Have you ever been to Disneyland at Halloween Time?

An InLinkz Link-up

Bella Thorne as Celia in Disney’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day #VeryBadDayEvent

Lolli — Tue, 14 Oct 2014 16:30:01 +0000

When I mentioned to my kids and the kids that I teach at church that I would be traveling to Los Angeles for a press day for Disney’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, it was very clear who they were most excited for me to meet. Have I ever mentioned that my kids like to live vicariously through me and think that I am the ultimate cool mom when they can brag to their friends that I’ve met so many of their favorite Hollywood stars? This time around, the kids were all thrilled that I got to interview Bella Thorne, best known for her role as Cece Jones on the Disney Channel’s show Shake It Up.

While the trip (travel and accommodations) were covered by Disney, all thoughts and opinions are my own. All photos in this post are courtesy of Disney.

Bella Thorne, who just recently turned 17, has accomplished quite a bit for a girl her age. Not only has she maintained a successful acting career in the movies and on TV, but she is soon to be a published author, with her debut novel, Autumn Falls, coming out in just a few weeks (you can preorder Bella’s book HERE). I’ve been reading an early copy of Autumn Falls this past week and I am surprised by how much I’m enjoying it.

When we asked Bella what attracted her to be a part of Disney’s newest movie, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, she didn’t hesitate to say that it was largely for the opportunity to work alongside Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner. She was also very attracted to the script and really liked what the movie stood for.

Bella’s Favorite scene in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day:

Bella: “The most fun scene to shoot was probably when we were in the car with Steve and everybody’s making those loud noises. It was cool, because Steve’s obviously funny, but in this scene, it was just so weird and so funny. It was so weird that I’m sitting in a car with Steve Carell and he’s just being ridiculous.

And it’s so funny. And I’m the one that’s supposed to not be laughing, and…Dylan starts laughing. He starts cracking up. Then Ed. And then comes me laughing — because they’re right next to me, and I just can’t help but laugh now. And I was like guys, stop, stop, you’re making me laugh. And it was so funny. It was actually really fun to shoot.”

About Celia, Bella’s character:

Bella said that Celia’s character is somewhat misunderstood. Instead of viewing her as a “mean girl” she says that Celia is just a perfectionist who gets upset when things aren’t perfect.

Bella: “You can’t think of Celia as a mean character, because she’s not. You have to think of Celia as a perfectionist. Now, you guys are all moms, so let’s say I’ve completely organized these phones all in a very great order, very straight, and somebody comes in and knocks this water over all your phones. Are you guys gonna be mad? Probably.

And so, Celia’s a perfectionist, and when things don’t go her way, she wants to make them perfect, and when someone keeps messing that up, she ends up getting angry. That’s understandable.”

Someone in our group asked Bella to name three words to describe Celia. Bella answered, “Funny, interesting, and not-so-forgiving.”

The hardest scene for Bella to film:

Bella said that the hardest scene for her to film was… “the dinner scene when Steve gets lit on fire. It’s so hard to film a scene with stunts, you know, it’s very hard when you’re doing stunts and tricks. And, you know, everybody’s great and has awesome energy, but I was called in at 4:30 am, and my coverage ended up being last. Because you have to get Ed and some of the kids that are younger than me in the film out earlier than me, they can keep me.

So, my coverage was last, and it was like 11:30 pm, and I was tired. I was tired, and I’d been doing this scene all day long. There’s a word in the movie and it’s the name of the place that they go do dinner…that weird, weird name. Why couldn’t I have just said Benihana’s?

I had to say this name, and when you’re dyslexic, you’re usually really good at memorizing, so I’ll read something once and I have it completely memorized. But that word when I first read it, I didn’t say it correctly, and so I was on set and somebody said, no, it’s actually like this. So, I had already memorized it wrong. And they kept trying to get me to do it right. I did maybe 25 takes of that same exact line over and over and every time I got it wrong.

Finally, the time that I got it right, Dylan is so overworked, ’cause he’s the other actor in the scene, so it’s just as bad as it is for him, and he looks at me and he starts bursting out laughing– ruins the whole take. And I said, ‘Dylan, I might punch you in the face right now.’ And he just could not help it. So, every time I got it right, he was chuckling, because it had just been such a long day.”

Bella’s interesting school obsession:

Because Bella Thorne has not gone to public school since 3rd grade, playing a high school student was especially fun for her. She surprised all of us by telling us a little secret obsession she has…with lockers. Yes, she LOVES lockers.

Bella said, “Man. I love me a locker. Oooh. I love looking at those lockers. I love looking at kids turning those little things on it. Ooooh. Ooooh, it gets me going. I really like looking at those lockers.”

Wondering why she loves lockers so much? Bella answered, “Because, you know, as a kid, okay, so I’m dyslexic. My first language is Spanish. I had to drop Spanish to learn English to then learn how to read. You can imagine how hard that must’ve been. I was bullied so much in school.

The only thing everybody would tell me was ‘you’ll probably be popular in high school,’ so I was always looking forward to high school growing up as a kid…and those lockers. You didn’t have lockers in third grade. So, when I looked at the kids that were older than me and they had lockers, it was really cool. It was so cool to have those lockers. And I was just like, I can’t wait till I have those lockers. And you know what? I don’t have those lockers. I’ve never had those lockers. I’m still angry about it.”

Bella’s perfect prom:

When Bella was asked about her perfect prom, her answer might surprise people. “Well, you know, I’ve been to school dances. And what’s really weird is they have you go there at six and then you can’t leave till 12. I go to bed every night at 10:30. Okay? I’m not a night owl. I don’t like staying up at night. The only reason I’m up at night is to watch Netflix or read a script. That is the only reason. I don’t like to go out.

And for these kids, they love getting dressed up and putting on heels and hair and makeup, but I do that every day. It’s not special to me to wear a big dress and heels and a lot of makeup and hair spray — that’s not a big deal for me. I’d rather not have all that and be in sweat pants without makeup and without worrying about how I look and what angle I’m being shot from. That’s not what I find necessarily that fun. So, when you’re there from six to 12 — it’s almost like working a long day on a movie set. So, when I went, I was like, oh, my gosh, you guys, can we get outta here? Can we go hit In and Out? …I want it animal style.”

Bella’s advice to teenage girls:

Bella said, “I’m gonna give them a piece of advice that I was given and I wish I would’ve taken it. Growing up on TV — and I really grew up mostly on Shake It Up — and I always tried to be perfect for everybody and I wanted everyone to like me. For some reason, I so much cared what other people thought and I would do anything to get someone’s stamp of approval. And now that I’m 17 I really don’t care. I don’t. And I wish I wouldn’t have cared so much, because I changed who I was as a person to be who everybody wanted me to be, and that’s not a cute look.

And you have to realize that I don’t care who you are; I don’t care if you’re in high school and you have glasses and braces and you don’t think you’re cool, people will like you for being you, no matter what. It’s impossible for people not to like you when you’re just being you. It really is. You will find a branch, and I have. I have a great group of friends now and we don’t have to impress each other. I’m not wearing makeup when I’m with them. I look ratchet. I’m in sweat pants. I am oily, greasy, sweaty. I don’t care. And we don’t have to prove anything to each other. And that’s what’s cool.”

Be sure to check out Bella in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, which is in theaters NOW! Also, be sure to peek at Bella’s new book, Autumn Falls, and come back here later to read my review of the book.

See Bella in this clip from the movie:

See my other interviews and movie review right here: #VeryBadDay posts

Movie Review: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day #VeryBadDayEvent

Lolli — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 12:45:01 +0000

I was able to see an early screening of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day during my press trip to Los Angeles recently, which included (among many other exciting activities) an interview with Producer Lisa Henson (Jim Henson’s daughter). I was able to see the movie again with my family at a local screening. Disney covered my travel and accommodations for my press trip to LA, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. All photos are courtesy of Disney.

It’s a rare movie that can fulfill so many things at once. I laughed. I teared up. I enjoyed it just as much as the 11 year old sitting next to me. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is the ultimate feel-good family-friendly movie – truly something that the whole family can enjoy together.

Steve Carell, Dylan Minnette, Ed Oxenbould, Kerris Dorsey, and Jennifer Garner at the #VeryBadDay premiere.

After seeing the movie in LA, we met with Producer Lisa Henson, and I’ve added some of her insights here, because I thought that they really resonated with me and the way that Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day made me feel.

Lisa Henson said, “The idea of making a family film that really every person in the family can enjoy…and not something that the adults must accompany their children to and not really enjoy. We wanted this movie to be appreciated on all levels by every person in the family. I hope that families go all together to see it. There’s so many ways in which families are sort of being split up in their viewing patterns. Kids preferring to watch one thing, adults maybe, even at the exact same time are watching something different. And we would love it if families would watch the film together.”

I appreciated that Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is not just slapstick comedy – it really has a heart, and at the heart of the movie are the relationships that the family members have with each other. The movie is built around the theme that if you’re having a bad day, the people in your network of support – your family, your friends, or whatever that might be – are always there to catch you.

Lisa Henson said, “Alexander in the book really feels misunderstood. And if his family wasn’t there loving him, in spite of his bad day, it would just be a bleak book. It would be a a depressing book for children as opposed to a happy one. So I think the idea that the family is loving, and your family is there for you no matter what, is really in the original book, as short as that book is. So many bad things happen to people in the film. But everybody ultimately has compassion for the rest of their family. And, one of the things that I love about the movie is it’s so easy to relate to and there cannot be a family that hasn’t experienced a day where you might have even prayed the night before, ‘Am I really going to be able…can we juggle all these things?'”

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst was one of my favorite books growing up, and so I was thrilled to hear that it was coming to theaters. But I admit…I also worried that the movie would not get the book “right” or that it would not meet up to my expectations. I am happy to say that it exceeded my expectations. Is it fair to say that I was expecting a comedy that would leave me rolling my eyes more often than it would leave me laughing? I was pleasantly surprised that it was intelligent and heart-felt. Yes, the things that happen to the Cooper family may be a little extreme (at least for one day!) but each of the characters was so relatable, and I really could see MY family in their experiences and their reactions.

Lisa Henson said, “We went through a really interesting development process taking that very small and very intimate little book and blowing it up into a full feature film by focusing on the rest of the family. But we really felt that Alexander, as a character, is such a sweet and lovable underdog. There’s a little bit of Alexander in everybody, including adults. You know, even adults have bad days, and teenagers have bad days, and mommies have bad days….”

Oh, yes, we do!

Want to have a GOOD day? Take your family to see Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, in theaters TODAY!

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The Kids of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day #VeryBadDayEvent

Lolli — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 18:47:35 +0000

I had the exciting opportunity to meet the kids behind Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day during the #VeryBadDayEvent Press Day. Travel and accommodations were covered by Disney, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. All photos are courtesy of Disney.

Never before have I been so impressed with young actors than I was when we sat down with Ed Oxenbould, Dylan Minnette and Kerris Dorsey, who play the Cooper kids in the movie. I could tell that they genuinely liked each other and had fun doing the movie together – a fact that was very apparent on screen.

From joking around on set to writing songs together, these kids really did become “family” as they played brothers and sister in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. They talked about how much fun this movie was to make, and how much they enjoyed each other.

“It didn’t even feel like we were working.” – Ed Oxenbould

On working with Steve Carell

Acting along side someone as well-known and funny (and universally liked!) as Steve Carell must have been a dream for these young actors. When we asked them what it was like working with Steve, they couldn’t stop raving about him. Dylan mentioned that Steve could have them in tears on the floor just by telling them what he was having for lunch.
Ed agreed, “Yeah, you could just look at him. And he’ll give you one look. And you will just be in uncontrollable laughter.”

Kerris said, “(His humor) is so witty and so impeccable. You can just tell by looking at him, like talking to him that’s he’s just so smart. And the wheels are always turning.”

Kerris gives some acting tips

Kerri’s character, Emily, was sick during the majority of the movie, so one of the bloggersin our group asked what it was like acting like she was sick for so many scenes (and if she had any good tips for us in case we wanted to take a sick day….).

Kerris said, “I feel like if I ever get like sick and sound sick my parents are gonna be like, no, mm-mm, we know your tricks. It’s all about the voice, I’ve found. It’s in the back in your throat and then in your nose. So anything like– M’s have to be B-sounding. I just watched a lot of like You Tube videos of people talking when they’re sick.

People post videos of themselves in any capacity. So there are literally people like, hey, I’m sick today. You know, and you just listen to it. So, yeah, it’s all about the voice. And then really heavily lidded eyes and then maybe like eyeliner or something underneath your eye or something like that.”

On learning to speak with an American accent

I thought it was quite amusing that Ed Oxenbould, who plays Alexander – a boy obsessed with all things Australia – is actually from Australia. To play the part of Alexander in the very-American Cooper family, he had to practice speaking like an American. His on-screen siblings said that he did such a good job with his accent that they often forgot he spoke any other way.

Ed said, “It was pretty hard. But also kind of easy at the same time ’cause I was brought up on American film. Because there’s a lot of American TV, a lot of American film in Australia. So I knew what it was. But it was a little rough around the edges. Actually, it was really bad. So I had training. And I just learned all the little tips and tricks on just to sound authentic.

On maintaining their composure during funny scenes

One of my favorite scenes in the movie is the scene in the van when they all start singing (you’ll have to see the movie to appreciate just how funny this scene is). Dylan, Ed, and Kerris talked about what it was like to film that scene and keep a straight face. Believe it or not, that scene was completely improvised (though I’m sure they had a lot of fun practicing that one).

Ed said, “There was one scene in the car that was completely improvised. I would walk around set going brr-brr-brr, just making the stupid noises. And Miguel, the director, said “I just want all of you to do it.” It was kind of ‘what?’ And then we all did it. And Steve started doing it. And you can see in the background everyone’s laugh. And there was blood in our faces ’cause we’re moving our shoulders like that. But it was so hard to keep a straight face.”

Kerris said, “Yeah, you had to keep a straight face. We were in such close quarters. I think we got kind of loopy at one point.”

The conversation quickly turned to the “other” car scene, outside the DMV. I’ve watched that scene twice now and laughed even harder the second time.

Kerris said, “We had to isolate it so that, you could hear the sound of everyone, so we didn’t have to like go back in post(-production) and do it. So Dylan would do his part. And we would all have to mime-talk. And then when Steve did his part, literally, I could not (handle it).”

Dylan said, “Well, he was yelling at me like about crashing the van, improvising. And I’m off camera. And I feel so bad ’cause I’m near tears on the ground laughing. And he’s still yelling at me on camera not breaking character. It was so difficult.”

Kerris went on, “I just wanted them to like never call cut so we could just keep going. It would’ve been funny for like two more hours.

The #VeryBadDay Soundtrack

Kerris Dorsey’s character plays a teen who is getting ready to play the lead role in Peter Pan. I noticed in the movie that she has a beautiful voice, but I was interested to hear that she actually writes music…including the Best Worst Day that plays at the end of the movie. Not only did she write it, but she performed it as well. One of the bloggers raved about the soundtrack and how catchy the music was. Dylan Minnette’s band, the Narwhals, also has a song in the film.

Kerris: “Well, Miguel actually called both of us (she and Dylan) and said he knows that we’re both musicians. And he said I would love it if you wanted to write a song for the movie. And my sister’s a singer/songwriter. She’s so talented. And so I asked her if she wanted to write it with me. And then we had like a short window that we could do it, that we could fit it in. And so we were…fingers crossed. And we watched the trailer sort of for inspiration. And obviously I knew what happened in the movie.

And we sort of tried to capture the essence of, you know, like Disney and the worst day sort of turning out to be the best day. And it all came together in a way that it’s in the end credits. So we were really happy.

In our interview with Steve Carell, he mentioned that said the kids wrote a song for him that made him a bit emotional.

Ed said, “That was the genius minds of Kerris and Justine Dorsey. All the way during the set we had this– on the party, we always had the song Beds are Burning by Midnight Oil. So that was always in our heads. So the song was to the tune of that. But it was all about working with him and all about his character. And it was really cool. We all sang it. And, yeah, he did get really emotional. It was really nice.

Kerris said, “Yeah, it was very emotional. And the whole crew was there on the set. And we got to sing it together. We had the lyrics and everything. And they had a little speaker that they let us use to play the song. And it was such a like special moment.

The #VeryBadDay Take-away

We asked Dylan, Kerris, and Ed they each took away personally from working with Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner, and such a fantastic crew.

Kerris said, “This was our take away.”

Ed continued, “This. This friendship.”

Dylan said, “Honestly, that’s true because now that we’ve done this, I can’t imagine not doing it because we have become such good friends that I literally can’t imagine not having the experiences that we’ve had after filming. Like it’s such a strange thought that it was kinda like fate. It’s kinda weird to say. But it really was fate because we’re really close.”

Kerris agreed, “It’s cool to have a movie that you are proud of and you enjoyed making. And then literally to walk away and go…my life would be completely different if I hadn’t done that movie ’cause I wouldn’t have met the people I met and had the experiences that I have. So it’s very dear to our hearts I think.”

“This is the best project I’ve worked on”. – Ed Oxenbould

On working with Bella Thorne

Bella Thorne plays the girlfriend of Dylan’s character. He shared his thoughts about working closely with Bella.

Dylan, “It was great. I think that Bella does it perfectly but she also does it in her own way. So Celia’s very hateable. But at the same time there’s a part of you that like…”

Kerris piped in, “You understand her. Yeah.”

Dylan continued, “You understand what she’s saying. And it’s interesting how she did it ’cause she is not completely mean all the time. She’s also kind of cool and kind of careless. She’s like Willy Wonka like or–

Ed continued his thought, “But, yeah, like she’s trying to get her point across…”

Kerris said, “And she’s so just normal and straight, I feel like relatable in that way. And prom is so important to her. And, you know, her social standing is so important to her character. So it’s like, you kinda get where she’s coming from, you know? She wants her day to go perfect just like, you know, Alexander and Emily and everybody wants their day to go perfect. So I feel for Celia. I feel bad for her.”

I’ll end the interview with this quote from Dylan.

“It goes without saying that this is life changing. I mean…the experiences that we’re all gonna have together throughout life now just because of this. I’m gonna always be able to watch this movie and think that this was such a great time in my life that I’ll never regret doing it ever. So it’s really special.” – Dylan Minnette

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Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day OPENS this Friday, October 10.

Jennifer Garner & Steve Carell Talk About Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Lolli — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 14:07:39 +0000

Meeting Jennifer Garner and Steve Carell was a bucket list-type of experience for me, and I’m eternally grateful to Disney for inviting me to LA to participate in the press event for their new movie, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Although my travel and accommodations were covered, all thoughts – and enthusiasm – are my own. Photos are courtesy of Disney.

When Jennifer Garner and Steve Carell walked in the room, the first thing out of Jennifer’s mouth was “These are my people! I brought him (Steve) along but let’s chat.” Both had huge smiles on their faces, and they put us instantly at ease. These are two of the biggest, most well-loved stars on TV and in the movies, and yet they sat down with us as if they were 2 regular people, just like us, sitting down for a big group chat.

This interview was probably my most enjoyable celebrity interview to date, though as I sit down to write about it, I still wonder if I will be able to capture the energy that the two of them had interacting back and forth and how much fun it was to be in the room with them. I tried to maintain a lot of their fun banter and conversational answers as best I could in this post.

Being asked to play the parents in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day:

We started out the interview by asking both Steve and Jennifer how they got involved in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. It was adorable to see the first glimpses of their mutual admiration for each other come out as they answered:

Steve Carell: “I was asked to be in it, and I said yes. I liked the script, I thought it was funny, and inventive, and different. I feel like I hadn’t really seen this kind of family movie in a while. And the fact that Jen was going to do it was a huge draw for me, because I’d been a huge fan of hers for a long time.

It’s true. We met a few times over the years, but just sort of in passing, and you know when someone not only lives up to, but exceeds expectations, of everything you’ve heard about them? That was her. She’s just the nicest person. She is. She’s the nicest person ever.”

Jennifer Garner then piped in, “Well, he’s fibbing a little bit, because he was actually on this movie first, so I was the one who knew he was doing it and said ‘Oh, yeah, I’ve been dying to work with him forever.'”

Steve: “I continued to do it because –”

Jennifer: “We had a really good time.”

Meet the characters

Steve Carell plays BEN COOPER: unemployed for seven months, Ben is an upbeat stay-at-home dad hoping to rejoin the ranks of the employed. But his huge job interview goes awry when the babysitter falls through and he’s forced to bring baby Trevor with him—and that’s just the beginning of his own very bad day. A die-hard optimist, Ben finds his sunny disposition pushed to the limit.

Jennifer Garner plays KELLY COOPER: Kelly, super mom, is a force of nature. Shouldering the breadwinning duties for the family, she secretly craves more time with her family. She starts her terrible day behind schedule, which is just the beginning of a host of missteps, culminating in a desperate attempt to battle a potentially career-ending publishing blunder.

On relating to Ben and Kelly as parents

In Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, the parents are very relatable. They are the kinds of parents every kid wished they had. We asked Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner if they felt like their characters paralleled their lives as parents.

Steve: I think I related in the broad strokes of being a parent, and my wife and I really co-parent. We divide and conquer in terms of everything that we need to do with our kids. So, I think I understood it and related to it on that level. But it’s crazy. It’s fun. It’s ridiculous.

It’s never what you think it’s going to be. And, at the end of it all, you can’t really take yourself too seriously, as a parent. And that’s the joy of it. I think we both definitely related and brought our own experiences to the movie. And if things in the script or things that we were doing didn’t feel genuine, we would speak up and we would offer our own personal experiences.”

Steve’s newly-discovered talent

In one hilarious scene in the movie, Steve Carell’s character, Ben Cooper, catches shrimp in his mouth at a Japanese Steak House. We wondered if he really did that…or if it was a trick of the screen.

Jennifer: “He did that. He caught the shrimp. I mean, they were saying ‘We’ll CG’ and Steve said, ‘I’ll give it a go.’ He did it. We were very excited.”

Steve: “Yeah, secret talent.”

Jennifer: “Did you know you had that talent?”

Steve: “I didn’t.”

Jennifer: “Until that moment?”

Steve: “I didn’t know that I had that eye-shrimp coordination.”

On being set on fire

In the same shrimp-catching scene, Ben Cooper accidentally catches the sleeves of his pirate shirt on fire. Like the shrimp-catching stunt, Steve also did the sleeves-on-fire-stunt himself.

Steve: “Jen was like, petrified…Very protective.”

Jennifer: “I was so nervous. Even though I had been set on fire before, you know what it’s gonna be, but I was so nervous to watch Steve be set on fire, and I didn’t want the kids to see him be set on fire – our movie kids. It was very, very tough on me. But they put gel on you…”

Steve: “It really wasn’t scary. I hope it looks scarier than it was…”

Jennifer: “Steve, you got very, very unfunny…”

Steve: “I got focused. I got focused.”

Jennifer: “You got unfunny and very focused. You couldn’t say that you did you were not aware that you were on fire.”

Steve: “I was aware that I was on fire, and I prepared to be on fire…and then I was on fire. And it’s the type of thing you don’t want to do a lot. You don’t want to do 25 takes of the Steve on Fire scene. So, you just try to get it right that first time, so you can move on.”

Steve Carell and Jennifer garner, behind the scenes of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

On keeping a straight face in a comedy

When we saw the movie, there were scenes where we were laughing the entire time. We asked Steve and Jennifer if it was hard to keep a straight face while they filmed.

Jennifer: “There are definitely scenes in the movie that, I don’t know how they (I did it) because I just wanted Steve to think that I was professional. There were times where I just couldn’t. I could not not laugh with him. I don’t know how anyone (does it) — I defy you to be in a scene with him and not laugh.”

Steve: “The same from my perspective. The scene where she’s screaming at the car in front of us. I mean, that’s a side of her I had never seen before, and it was crushing me. It was so, so good.”

Jennifer: “The scene where we were in the car, making the weird sounds, and I look at him and he’s going, “Arararara!” I can’t even think about it. I can’t watch it.”

Steve: “But that, I think, was part of just the joy of doing it. And the kids laughed too. It was work, and we tried to get it right, and we tried to to do it well, but it also had to be fun. And buoyant. And what’s the point of doing anything unless you’re enjoying it, and I think everyone had a good time doing it.”

On their favorite scene to film

I was touched by the answer to the question of what their favorite scene to film was. In the end, just like any family, the time spent together doing normal stuff was what stood out the most to them.

Jennifer: “I liked when we were all together.”

Steve: “That’s what I was gonna say. Well, we were all together for most of the movie.”

Jennifer: “Dancing at the end. It’s just, all of the fun stuff, is really fun, it looks fun, and it is. And there was a day between scenes where we had (down time) and it was warm out, and it was the kind of thing where you would typically go back to your trailers, and do whatever you needed to do.

And they put us in a little room in the house, and we all had our phones with us. And we sat with those kids, and nobody ever looked at their phones, and we just talked. You wouldn’t think that you would have that much to talk about with teenagers, because it seems like they’re from another planet. But these are the coolest group, some of the smartest, most interesting, engaging kids.

And the five of us just hung out together, and had the best time, and that, to me, is kind of the crux of this whole movie, was just that feeling in that room, and that nobody came in and bugged us. Nobody else was there. It was just us as a group. And it was something that we chose to do.”

Steve: “On my last day, Dylan and Kerris did a song for me that they had written. And Ed. The three of them sang this song. But I think the two of them wrote it and the three of them performed it, and I broke down. I really didn’t see it coming. It really crept on me, the emotion of it all, and the feelings that we all had, just over a couple of months, for one another. And to see everyone again, and be doing press, is really fun.”

Jennifer: “It’s different when you work with kids. You really feel a different sense of — like, I know I’ll see Steve. I’ll always be glad to see him and hopefully we’ll work together at some point, but we played these kids’ parents. Especially the babies. If you are working with kids, even though there are people there, making sure they’re okay, and their parents, but you’re the one saying, ‘Do you want a snack? Do you have to pee? Are you tired?'”

Jennifer Garner and Dick Van Dyke behind the scenes in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Dad Day

On playing pranks on each other

Steve Carell seemed hesitant to share the story of being pranked by Jennifer Garner, but that makes it all the more fun to tell!

Steve: “We went to the same college at different times. So, early on, before we even started shooting, apparently Jen bought a bunch of Denison University paraphernalia.”

Jennifer: “Everything they made.”

Steve: “And throughout the shoot, a Denison cookbook would be in the background on the shelf, or some of the production assistants would be wearing Denison University hats.”

Jennifer: “Or, truly, the whole crew would be wearing sweatshirts and sweatpants, and he never noticed any of it. It was amazing. I kept going further and further, and everyone would be like, and he’s just totally a man. He’s so oblivious. Right? At the end, I called Nancy, his wife, and I said — believe I’m not psycho — ‘Can I stash a Denison chair, with Denison engraved in the back, in your house?'” It was his last day. And see how long it takes him to find it.”

Steve: “(It took me) like, two weeks. And she could hear me from downstairs. I started laughing, ’cause it was upstairs in a corner, and I had been passing this chair for weeks, and it just registered that it was a Denison University chair, and I immediately texted you (Jennifer) my thanks and ‘well done.’ Kudos on a trick well played.”

If anything could convince you to see a movie, I think this hilarious interview with Jennifer Garner and Steve Carell could. So mark your calendars for October 10 and take the whole family. Everyone will love it!

Like ALEXANDER on Facebook: Facebook.com/DisneyAlexander

Follow ALEXANDER on Twitter: @DisneyPictures

#VeryBadDay Is Very Good News #VeryBadDayEvent

Lolli — Tue, 16 Sep 2014 17:01:44 +0000

I am excited to make the official announcement that in a week’s time, I will be joining 24 other bloggers in Los Angeles for another incredible Disney movie press event. Although my travel and accommodations are covered for this press event, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Here is what I’m looking forward to (and what you will be seeing more about in the coming weeks as I report back):

I’ll be attending the press junket of ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY (which opens in theaters on 10/10) where I will be interviewing the cast of the film including Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner, Ed Oxenbould, Dylan Minnette, Kerris Dorsey and Bella Thorne!

Hashtags to follow: #VeryBadDayEvent and #VeryBadDay

I’ll also be taking an exclusive tour of Walt Disney’s former Los Feliz residence and learning about the filmmaking process behind SLEEPING BEAUTY and MALEFICENT. Then we’ll take a peak behind the scenes of PLANES FIRE AND RESCUE (which is coming to stores November 4th) by sitting down with filmmakers.

Hashtags to follow: #FireandRescue | #SleepingBeauty | #Maleficent | #DisneyInHomeEvent

Not only will I be attending a special advance screening of STAR WARS REBELS: SPARK OF REBELLION, but I’ll be meeting the cast including Freddie Prinze Jr., Taylor Gray, Vanessa Marshall,Tiya Sircar and Executive Producer Dave Filoni.

Hashtag: #StarWarsRebels and #DisneyInHomeEvent

Last but not least….I’M GOING TO DISNEYLAND! I’ve always wanted to see Disneyland all decked out for Halloween, and now is my chance. We’ll be kicking off the Halloween season in style. I can’t wait to take lots and lots of pictures!

Hashtag: #HalloweenTime

Let me know if you have any questions that I can ask any of the celebrities that I’ll be meeting on the trip. I’d love to be able to customize some questions just for my readers!

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, #VeryBadDay Activity Sheets & Sweeps

Lolli — Fri, 05 Sep 2014 13:44:19 +0000

I’ve got news!

As if new printable activity sheets AND a sweepstakes to win a family vacation to Disney Aulani wasn’t exciting enough….I’ve got news!

In less than 3 weeks, I’ll be heading to Los Angeles to attend a press junket for Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day as well as the chance to interview Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner, Ed Oxenbould, Dylan Minnette, Kerris Dorsey and Bella Thorne. We’ll also be taking an exclusive tour of Walt Disney’s former Los Feliz residence and discover the filmmaking process behind SLEEPING BEAUTY and MALEFICENT, as well as attend a special advance screening of STAR WARS REBELS: SPARK OF REBELLION and more! Yep. I’m pretty excited. Just to be clear, this is an all-expense paid press trip, including travel, accommodations, and activities, but excitement and opinions are always my own.

But back to the present. I LOVE free printables for the kids. I know that your kids will enjoy these activities (don’t forget to check out the previous activities I posted for Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, too!).

Free Printable Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, #VeryBadDay Activity Sheets

To download any of these activities, simply click directly on the image you want and you’ll be taken to the full-sized PDF of the file. Have fun!

About the movie:

Disney’s “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” follows the exploits of 11-year-old Alexander (Ed Oxenbould) as he experiences the most terrible and horrible day of his young life—a day that begins with gum stuck in his hair, followed by one calamity after another. But when Alexander tells his upbeat family about the misadventures of his disastrous day, he finds little sympathy and begins to wonder if bad things only happen to him. He soon learns that he’s not alone when his mom (Jennifer Garner), dad (Steve Carell), brother (Dylan Minnette) and sister (Kerris Dorsey) all find themselves living through their own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Anyone who says there is no such thing as a bad day just hasn’t had one.

The book “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” (one of my childhood favorites!) published in 1972, was written by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Ray Cruz and inspired by Viorst’s sons Alexander, Anthony and Nicholas. With more than 2 million copies in print, it became an ALA Notable Children’s Book and won a George G. Stone Center Recognition of Merit, a Georgia Children’s Book Award, and distinction as a Reading Rainbow book. Viorst penned the sequels: “Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday” (1978) and “Alexander, Who’s Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move” (1995).

ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY sweepstakes

Get excited! An amazing ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY sweepstakes just launched this week! To enter all you need to do is share your Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad throwback family photo using #VeryBadDaySweeps on Twitter or Instagram. You could WIN an Adventures by Disney trip for four to Disney Aulani, resort & spa!

Note: No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. See official rules on Facebook.

Connect:

Like ALEXANDER on Facebook: Facebook.com/DisneyAlexander
Follow ALEXANDER on Twitter: @DisneyPictures
ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY opens in theaters October 10th!