- Title: USA: AMERICAN PREMIERE OF MOVIE " SAVE THE LAST DANCE" HIP-HOP DRAMA
- Date: 2nd December 2000
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 2, 2000) (REUTERS) SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) SEAN PATRICK THOMAS SAYING OF THE CLUB SCENES, It was very weird. I mean, that's the only time in my life that I will ever walk onto a dance floor and, like, the crowd will part. That will not happen in real life, ever. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) JULIA STILES SAYING I did actuall
- Embargoed: 17th December 2000 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES AND FILM LOCATIONS
- Country: USA
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVAW4BJU34WOQ1MGVZ0P2EOM1R9
- Story Text: Targeting the teen and young adult market, Paramount Pictures celebrated the World Premiere of its new hip-hop themed drama "Save the Last Dance" on Tuesday, January 9 in Los Angeles.
For the second year in a row, Paramount Pictures' association with MTV Films has produced a record-breaking, number one movie aimed at the youth market. Last January, the studio released the football drama "Varsity Blues" into the number one position. This year, it's a Romeo and Juliet-styled, hip hop music-tinged drama called "Save the Last Dance."
Julia Stiles, best known for her performance in the comedy "Ten Things I Hate About You," stars as a small town girl named Sara who aspires to be a classical ballet dancer. Her dreams are dashed when her mother dies in a car accident on her way to watch her daughter in an audition.
Sara moves to the urban jungle of Chicago to live with her father and must adjust to life in a predominantly African-American school and a drastically different social life.
Her world changes once again when she meets Derek, the crown prince of a local hip hop club played by Sean Patrick Thomas.
Derek shows her how to dance and how to fit into her new environment and in the process, the two fall in love. Their controversial inter-racial relationship raises eyebrows and causes concerns with their friends and relatives, played by Fredro Starr, Bianca Lawson and Kerry Washington.
The film is directed by Thomas Carter, whose previous films include the musical "Swing Kids" and the Eddie Murphy action film "Metro." He also won an Emmy for producing the television movie "Don King: Only in America."
Both lead actors had to undergo weeks of intensive dance training, for Stiles, in both hip hop and ballet. They were trained by award-winning choreographer Fatima and her colleague Richmond Talauega.
Stiles says the hip hop was much easier for her, since she loves to dance at clubs for fun. On the other hand, Sean Patrick Thomas called it surreal for him to be the center of attention at a night club, especially because he very rarely goes to them, much less dances at them.
Besides "Ten Things I Hate About You," Stiles has also starred in the Freddie Prinze Jr. film "Down to You" and Ethan Hawke's recent adaptation of "Hamlet." Sean Patrick Thomas co-starred in the films "Cruel Intentions" with Reese Witherspoon and "Courage Under Fire" with Denzel Washington.
"Save the Last Dance" opened in theaters throughout the United States on Friday, January 12. It earned more then 27 million dollars in its first weekend, taking the number one spot at the box office. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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