Web site draws admiring fans
By Bret Schulte
Senior Reporter
Notoriously paranoid about the
press and distant to her admirers, actress
Demi Moore still receives the uncondi
tional love and support from thousands
of fans across the world.
Now, they can call Omaha home.
Since the summer, Demi Moore’s
Official Fan Club has operated out of
Omaha, because of a new “career
opportunity” for the club president and
founder, who identifies himself only as
Scott and would only conduct an inter
view strictly via e-mail.
As president of the fan club, he
shares his feelings about Moore and dis
cusses her career, personal life and gos
sip with fans from nearly all 50 states
and more than 50 countries. The interac
tion with other fans is perhaps the great
est part of his role as the club president,
he wrote.
“My admiration goes along with the
opportunity to talk to her fans,” he said.
“I probably talk to 20 to 50 fans a day.
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Having created the club in February
while living in a small Washington com
munity, Scott said Omaha offered a
more central location, working out per
fectly with his career move. But that’s
not the only reason Scott is so pleased
with Omaha.
“I love the Big Red,” Scott stated.
“This was another benefit; I was able to
go the football games. Go Huskers!”
The object of desire well before she
ran away from home at the age of 18,
Moore has led a checkered life of failed
relationships and drug abuse before
finding peace with the bulldog-ish, T
shirted actor Bruce Willis. Even now,
she receives regular criticism for the
entourage of personal bodyguards and
assistants she keeps in her constant
company, perpetuating her lofty image.
«
Her voice initially
caught my attention ’’
Scott
founder of Demi Moore Fan Club
Scott thinks his position as the pres
ident of her fan club allows him a
chance to dispel the myth that Moore
isn’t just a bitch in the movies.
“I have the ability to portray her in a
positive way,” he said. “Many have pre
conceived notions regarding a celebrity
because of what they may read in the
papers.”
Indeed, Moore has been scrutinized
by many publications, frequently con
trasting her apparent snobbery with her
husband’s gregarious and affable char
acter, painting an unfavorable portrait of
the actress.
Bom Demetria Guynes on Nov. 11,
1962, in Roswell, N.M., Moore was the
daughter of a frequently unemployed
father, who divorced and re-married her
_ll_a_i_A A. i o i i_. • 1
uii/uiwi iwitt. m 10, iviuuic nidiileu a
musician 12 years her senior, and never
completed high school. After a few
modeling roles and bit-acting pieces,
she landed a recurring part on “General
Hospital.” Although her marriage
quickly dissolved, her career was finally
beginning to take shape.
It was when Moore began running
with the Brat Pack on the silver screen
that she became a recognized talent in
Hollywood and gained national atten
tion, including that of the future presi
dent of her fan club.
“I first became interested in her
when I saw her in ‘St. Elmo’s Fire,”’
Scott said. “Her voice initially caught
my attention, and each of her characters
(since) seems to have specific moments
where they shine in their movies.”
Although first noticing the driven
and husky actress during the ’80s, it was
more than a decade before Scott foynd
ed an official fan club initerJidiiorr
although he never intended to do so.
“I was simply playing around on the
Internet with creation ofWehpages*and
I decided to scan a photo (of Moore)
here and there. One thing led toiniote,
and I published the Web site.”
Before long, Scott’s site was draw
ing responses from people interested in
the up-and-coming actress wanting to
discuss and trade information about her.
Realizing there was no official fan chib
for Moore, Scott finally created a fan
club for the popular actress from its
intangible beginnings on the Web, regis
tering it with the National Association
of Fan Clubs in February.
Like any fan club, there are certain
obligations and perks.
Annual fees vary by residence. In j
the United States it is $22, $27 fori
Canadians and $32 for members in*
other nations. For this feq, ra$mbe$?v
receive a certificate ‘‘suit^e forftam^
ing,” an address to write fan letters to ;
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ten by members, Scott said.
But you don’t have to pay to be part
of the life of the famous and beautiful
Moore.
“Anyone can send e-mail with ques
tions,” Scott said. “I try to personally
answer all e-mail received. I have been
able to establish relationships with
many of ho-fans. It adds a nice person
al touch.”
Interested parties can access the
Wbb siteof Demi Moort^^Bfi^ai^^
http://members, aol. com/InZax580/dem
i.html or e-mail Scott directly at
inzax580@aol.com.
7 ■ - --1
PaplliomLaVista makes Hollywood connection
By Liza Holtmeier
Senior Reporter
Papillion-LaVista High School
may look like an ordinary American
high school.
About 1,600 students in grades 10
through 12 attend classes there daily,
and one of the most exciting events this
semester was the state football play
offs.
But something extraordinary is
taking place. Twenty feet of Papillion
LaVista’s hallways are filled with the
cameras, lights and crew of the MTV
Feature Film “Election.”
Not only is part of “Election”
being filmed at Papillion-LaVista, cast
and crew of the movie are involved in a
guest lecture series with the school’s
School-to-Work program.
The film is directed by Omaha
native Alexander Payne, who also
filmed his last movie — the comedy
“Citizen Ruth”—in Nebraska.
“Election” depicts a high school
election that goes awry when die stu
«
dent government adviser, Jim
McAllister (played by Matthew
Broderick), decides to sabotage the
campaign of an over-achieving stu
dent, Tracy Flick (played by Reese
Witherspoon).
The movie also stars Chris Klein as
Paul Metzler and Jessica Campbell as
his younger sister, Tammy. It is based
on the novel of the same name by Tom
Peiqtta.
The film is being shot with the
intent of receiving a PG-13 rating and
is scheduled for a spring or summer
release.
The production crew for
“Election’’ first visited the school in
September.
“They had been looking at Omaha
Public School buildings,” said Frank
Sunderman, Papillion LaVista’s prin
cipal. “OPS decided they didn’t want
to participate so they started looking at
some of the suburban schools.”
The crew took a quick walk
through the building on Sept. 4 and
decided to film there.
Papillion LaVista administrators
«
This has been a really great opportunity for all the students. I
don’t think they realized all the different facets of the movie
industry.”
Cheryl Bell
School-to-Work Program liaison
—■—
agreed when they saw how the experi
ence could be used to enrich the
school’s curriculum.
Sunderman said the primary con
siderations was deciding the practical
worth of expo sing students to an indus
try they knew little about
Since filming began, the high
school and its faculty and students
have been involved in many areas of
production.
The entire classroom of
Broderick’s character is made up of
Papillion-LaVista students, and a few
received speaking roles. Also, a num
ber of teachers received small speak
ing roles and served as extras in the
film.
To involve the production crew in
Papillion LaVista’s School-to-Work
program, 25 teachers submitted ideas
incorporating the film industry into
their curriculum.
“The producers have done out
standing work with our school-to
career program,” Sunderman said.
“They have spoken to a wide number
of classes already. Reviews from the
teachers and kids have been very
favorable and positive”.
Production personnel have spoken
about set designs, script writing, Web
page development, the industry’s
financial aspects and the social and eth
ical responsibilities of movie making.
Cheryl Bell, liaison for the School
to-Work program, said many students
were “star struck” when the crew first
began its lecture series.
“By the end of the class, though,
the kids are standing up there with the
presenters, and the presenters said the
students asked a constant stream of
questions” she said.
Today, physics students will have
the opportunity to meet an “Election”
cameraman who also shot “Apollo
13.” The students have beat preview
ing the movie in class in preparation
Please see MOVIE on 10