Call it Hollywood magic or call it irony: On the hottest day in the recorded history of Los Angeles, which saw temperatures downtown soaring to a scorching 113 degrees before breaking the National Weather Service's thermometer, it snowed in Westwood. More specifically, organizers of the premiere for Overture Films' new vampire picture Let Me In made it snow over the party at the Napa Valley Grille, following the screening at the Regency Bruin Theatre. Relativity Media and Overture Films' Tonya Toone oversaw the party, tapping Wendy Creed to produce and design it with a wintry look that evoked the movie's bleak New Mexico setting.
After walking diagonally across Westwood Village from the screening location, guests entered the Napa Valley Grille party to warnings like "Watch your step—it's snowing over there" from security guards stationed near some manufactured snow from North Hollywood Ice Company melting on the sidewalk. Falling faux snow came down on guests in the party space, where flocked branches and lighting patterns that mimicked the look of bare trees set the mood.
The onset of the historic weather necessitated considerable contingency planning. Creed's team, which needed about an hour to make the snow using five tons of ice, pushed up the process to start later, so it wouldn't sit too long before guests' arrival. Also preparing for the possibility of rolling blackouts, Creed ordered a backup generator, and advised the chef to prepare a plan. Creed's team also had lots of candles already planned for the space, and added some additional pieces in case it went dark. All told, the guest count was a robust 500 in spite of—or because of—the weather.
Recalling the movie's 1980s setting, the party also employed some of that decade's most iconic elements. DJ Eli Epstein, a music producer whose specialty is '80s music, spun period classics like "Down Under" and "The Safety Dance." A room filled with arcade games and an air hockey table provided entertainment. Hasbro's Rubik's Cubes sat atop tables, and Now and Later candies—the favorite of the film's lead character, Owen—were on offer, along with more rounded dinner and dessert fare from the restaurant. Comfort foods included flat-breads, grilled sirloin and vegetable brochettes, and penne turkey Bolognese.
As the still-hot evening wore on, one guest cooled her bare feet in a puddle of melting snow surrounding a tree in the outdoor space. Indeed, the party may have been the coolest spot in town on the hottest night in history.
