The Lost Cause/Rookies world premiere was a huge success. Thanks to a dedicated group of Central Coast spongers, the Fair Oaks Theater was completely sold out for this much-anticipated event. And this wasn't you're typical Fair Oaks "mommy-can-I-have some popcorn" Disney matinee crowd. No sir-ee, this crowd consisted of mostly high school and college age males, high on life and other substances, yelling and screaming at the top of their lungs for no particular reason. There was crowd surfing, puking, and an almost constant stream of profanity from the peanut gallery. Luckily things never got too out of hand and I think just about everyone had a great night.

The evening was not without its glitches. There were some technical problems with the sound system that delayed the start of the movie, but the real drama occurred on the LA freeways. Cruising up from San Diego with the only existing master copy of his movie Rookies, Nick Statom was momentarily distracted by a Mark Miller spaz attack and rear-ended a 2002 Porsche. The Porsche was totaled and Nick's station wagon was out of commission for the day. Stuck in LA with only hours to go before the premiere, the situation looked bleak. Everyone in the car was too young to rent a car, so the crew was getting desperate. Luckily, one of the passengers was a kid by the name of JP Hearst, a direct descendent of William Randolph Hearst, that rich bastard who owned half the newspapers in America, built a castle, and inspired the movie Citizen Kane. So basically this kid has some cash. Anyway, he saved the day by renting a limo for the three-hour journey to Pismo Beach. The crew arrived an hour after the doors opened, but luckily Manny was still playing reality television games with the groms so it all worked out OK.

I would guess that the majority of the crowd came to see Rookies, especially considering that about a quarter of the crowd left when it was over. Featuring James Murdock, Josh Ralph, Mark Miller, Louie Robles, Nick Statom, Brett Roldan, and a crew of others, this video displayed the sick waves and dedicated rippers on the Central Coast. Songs by Queens of the Stone Age, Built to Spill, Trail of Dead, Rolling Stones, System of a Down, Stretch Armstrong, and Pennywise had the crowd amping beyond belief. Highlights were the DK action of Louie and Brett and the prone ripping of James and Nick.

Lost Cause was insane. Stoker worked his typical FCP magic and produced yet another gem for NF. The standout section was probably Roach. This guy's surfing practically begs for a Danzig song, and he finally got it. Rawlins was another standout with super stylish riding and some big busting over a Ramones track. I also thought the Lackey interview was pretty interesting and his section was sick too.

Big thanks to Esteem Surf Shop for sponsoring the event, printing out a ton of free t-shirts, and producing Rookies. Copies should be available at Esteem soon.

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