San Francisco, the city by the bay.
San Francisco held a special memory for me. I'd first met Blake Lively there when she did the movie "Dreamer". Since the city had always been known for a populace that came and went, often via the ocean, I suppose it was fitting that we'd had a whirlwind romance that ended when filming ended. I guess some cities are meant for that.
Blake had moved on, she was a married woman now, was I mad? Nah, who am I to tell someone who to marry? When I heard about her marriage, I smiled.
"Congratulations to the lucky man." I said to myself.
Though when I later learned of the secrecy with which their wedding was handled, I wondered who was really calling the shots, and was glad I didn't receive an invitation. I was reminded too much of a wedding I was "accidentally" not invited to.
Now I was returning to San Francisco and a new project.
Mark Stein, whom I knew from several film projects he directed, was filming the concert scenes for the first season DVD release of the TV series "Nashville". One of the season's plotlines had been a co-headlining tour of major arenas by its two music stars, one of whom was up and coming singer Juliette Barnes, played by Hayden Panettiere. Hayden did all her own singing on the show so it gave her music scenes extra authenticity. Mark was given the task of filming performances of her character's that would be edited into episodes. For the DVD, all the songs would be combined into a full concert, with a few extra songs.
Mark's past work had given him enough clout and the legendary Fillmore West became the venue for country superstar "Juliette Barnes".
"Bring back a few memories, Hollywood?" He said to me as we walked around the building and he plotted out camera angles with the series director of photography while crew members set the stage up for "Juliette's" band. Mark had heard all the stories of the "Dreamer" production from the director of photography.
"Oh, you bet." I said "I think Blake was standing over there when they set off the flash bomb."
"I'm just glad she didn't fall off the stage, I've seen how tall she is."
"Her legs were probably insured for all we know."
Mark's phone buzzed
"OK, great...sure, why not?" he said
As he hung up the phone, he turned to me.
"You'll be happy to know our star has arrived." He said with a smirk.
"Which one?"
"Three guesses, and the first two don't count." He said as we headed for the lobby.
As we walked into the lobby, the doors to the building opened and in walked a petite blonde with a mega-watt smile.
It was Hayden Panettiere.
"Hi, Mark! So good to see you again!" she said happily as she hugged him "So, is this your friend?" she said looking at me.
"Yes, this is Jim. He's the guy from Artists Unlimited."
"Hi, I'm Hayden!" she said with that electric smile and dressed in a purple Nike track suit combo, her hair pulled back in a tight bun.
"Hi, it's good to finally meet you, the guys in my office are very jealous of me."
"Oh, really?" she laughed "Why's that?"
"I don't know, maybe they remember you from Heroes."
She rolled her eyes in response
"Oh, god...everyone seems to remember that show."
"It made you a geek goddess with the Star Trek set, right?"
Hayden let out a boisterous laugh at that.
"Yes it did!"
Mark's phone buzzed again and he went off with Hayden to go over the staging of her concert.
That evening the audience at the Fillmore got to see the San Francisco debut of "Juliette Barnes". And I'll admit, if Hayden wasn't an actress, she could definitely have a future in the music business.
With the concert finished, I was wondering what to do next when Mark found me.
"Hey, feel like some dinner with a star?" he asked
"Promoting your self again, Mark?" I joked
"Very funny, I'm serious. The network's buying dinner for everyone."
"Not a bad idea."
"I know Hayden would be disappointed if you didn't come." he said with same smirk on his face.
"Oh, get real Mark!" I said dismissively
A TV star interested in me, that's rich.
The network sprung for dinner at a seafood place called Dirty Harry's. It was just the right blend of ritzy (in terms of the food) and rowdy (the décor, a mix of the city's embrace of the counterculture). Prominently displayed was a large poster for the movie of the same name, signed by its star. Mark told me of several projects he had in the works, chief among them a sequel to the "Hannie Caulder" film he'd directed Miley Cyrus in to be titled "Hannie Caulder: Diablo Trail". The only problem he had was getting Miley to commit to a sequel.
"Why would she hesitate, I got the feeling she loved the film." I said as I sipped a Corona beer and dug into my umpteenth crab cake.
"Aw, who knows?" Mark said with frustration as he took a sip of his drink
"Maybe you just need a new Hannie Caulder?" Hayden interjected as she sat across the table from Mark
"And whom would you suggest?" he replied
"Why not me?" she suggested confidently
Mark chuckled in response
"Well, I appreciate that but, well..." he said trying to find the right words
"I could do the part. I've been riding horses for a long time." She quickly added
"I think she's putting the moves on your film, Mark." I said with a smile as I took a sip of my beer "What have you got to lose for giving her at least a screen test?"
Hayden also smiled, like she appreciated my support of her.
"OK, well..." He finally said before quickly adding "It's just in the talking stages now. Miley might change her mind and do it after all."
"That's good enough for me." She said "Jim, let me buy you a drink."
"My Mom said I should never refuse the offer of a lady, so you've got yourself a deal." I said as I stood up
"Well! Looks like I've got some competition for you." Hayden laughed as she led me to the bar.
"White wine, please...and a...what are you drinking, Jim?" she asked as she turned to me
A pretty girl's buying me a drink in a place like this?
Skip the Corona this time, Jim!
"Oh, uh...a seven and seven, please." I said
"A seven and seven for the gentleman." Hayden said in an elegant, ladylike voice.
Hayden looked like a million bucks even in a pair of slim-fit black pants and a white cashmere sweater with a black shirt underneath. It made her blonde hair shine all the more.
"So, tell me something..." she began as we got our drinks and she leaned against the bar "Why do they call you Hollywood Jim?"
I was taken aback and tried not to swallow my drink hard.
"Well, it's just a nickname I got in high school. What did they call you in high school?" I asked, trying to be cocky.
"I wouldn't know. I was home schooled." She said with a smile that said "top THAT".
"I guess I lost that argument."
Hayden laughed
"I figure all those high school movies I've done since then make up for it." She added
"I never thought of that. Makes sense to me."
Hayden's manager came over and told her of some network big shots eager to meet her. She looked over her shoulder at me and waved. She had such an electric smile that I couldn't help but be infatuated with her as I watched her walk away.
I began to think of Hayden in that film, it didn't sound like a bad idea the more I thought about it. But Mark had the final say in this, not some geeky guy with a camera.
