Million Dollar Arm World Premiere Experience #MillionDollarArmEvent

In a nod to baseball, the green carpet was rolled out at the El Capitan in Hollywood for the premiere of Disney’s Million Dollar Arm and I was there to walk it! The event included the Million Dollar Arm Pitching Contest, pre-game festivities and a screening of the film. Our crew of #MillionDollarArmEvent bloggers were thrilled to be a part of this star-studded moment where we mingled with famous people, enjoyed ball park food and watched a fabulous family-friendly film.

Million Dollar Arm Pitching Contest

Nine people were given the amazing opportunity to win a $1 Million prize. The contestants attended the World Premiere where they had three chances to make one 100 mph pitch for the win. Josh Dalh from Glendale, Arizona pitched the fastest ball at 94.9 MPH. He was so close!!! The goal wasn’t met but each entrant received a gift package and was surrounded by some of their favorite all-time sports heroes!

Pre-party

Guests pitched balls in a batting cage, ate tasty baseball designed Krispy Kremes, yummy hot dogs from the Hollywood staple, Pink’s and mingled with their favorite celebs. How can you not be giddy to take photos with the people you admire, the people who seemed so unreachable up until now?! We seized the moment and took as many selfies as possible. Why do I like selfies? They are spontaneous, casual, I get to control the look of the photo and I always get to be in the shot. World renowned artists painted self-portraits so I see nothing wrong with capturing a fun moment with me in it! We posed with Jane’s Addition’s Perry Farrell, Suraj Sharma (played Rinku in film), Lake Bell (Brenda), Pitobash (Amit) as well as the real Rinku Singh who is living the American dream!

Tzi Ma (Chang) (top), The Real Rinku (bottom left), Suraj Sharma (Rinku) (bottom right)

Pitobash (Amit)

The Premiere

Jon Hamm of Mad Men, plays J.B. Bernstein, a sports marketing agent whose career is in the hands of a reality game that he created which lands him in India. The goal is to tour the untapped country to find the next biggest pitchers in baseball history. The challenge is that most of the Indians have never played baseball. Ever. Fortunately, two men stand up to the challenge. Contest winner Rinku Singh and runner-up Dinesh Patel head back with J.B. to Los Angeles for a life-changing adventure.

I haven’t watched many of the well-known baseball movies and I honestly didn’t think that I would enjoy this movie or appreciate the passion behind the sport, but after seeing it, I realized that the film is about so much more than baseball. The film is about taking chances, pursing dreams, family bonds, and taking care of the ones you love. The acting was superb, the scenes of India were mesmerizing and I loved that the film is based on a true story. I highly recommend seeing Million Dollar Arm with your family, your kids or the grandparents. The film is inspirational!

Living in Hollywood, I sometimes take for granted that I am in the film mecca of the world, that there is a glamorous side to this city. For a short moment, I was a part of that glamour! Sure, being surrounded by celebrities and world famous athletes is impressive but I truly enjoyed my Mom’s Night Out with the group of women and gentleman who walked the carpet with me. We looked good, we laughed and we set out to have a fun night, which we achieved! This event was definitely a grand slam.

I have to give a shout out to my two gal pals – I truly loved experiencing this with friends, old and new especially with Shelby from OCMomBlog and Yolanda from SassyMommyInLA for completing my night! – IT Mom, Tee

MILLION DOLLAR ARM will be sneaking in theatres this Saturday night, 5/10 in over 500 theatres across the country before it opens wide on 5/16! I hope you get to see it this weekend!

* I attended an all-expense paid press trip courtesy of Disney/ABCTV/Disney XD. The review is in our own words and is our opinion. All Photos Copyright @ That’s IT Mommy/Tee Burgess.