Exclusive: T4 and Eastwood Team-up Talk on the Red Carpet!
California Museum’s California Hall of Fame: Part One!

Reported By: Randy Jennings
Wednesday, December 17, 2008

On Monday, December 15, TheArnoldFans was invited to Sacramento's greatest annual celebrity event. Each December, The California Museum celebrates the honorees of The California Hall of Fame, which recognizes legendary Californians who have influenced the state, the nation and the world. On this glorious evening, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver inducted 12 leaders, trailblazers, and legends into The California Hall of Fame. TheArnoldFans would have Jack Nicholson, Dave Brubeck, Jane Fonda, Robert Graham, Quincy Jones, Jack LaLanne, Dorothea Lange, Julia Morgan, Linus Pauling, Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel, Leland Stanford, and Alice Waters all at our mercy for interviews as they paraded in front of my prime spot on the red carpet.

My first celebrity encounter was The First Lady herself. At 4:45 p.m. the press was invited to cover Maria Shriver's indoor Presentation on The California Hall of Fame. Here I stood just a few feet away from Arnold's wife as she spoke for nearly ten minutes and also presented the winner of the Dreamers Challenge, a scholarship award inspired by the California Hall of Fame. This year’s winner is Elena Muruato, a senior at Pueblo de Los Angeles High School in Los Angeles, who wrote about providing services to children who lost parents in Iraq and Afghanistan.

At 6pm the celebrities arrived and walked the red carpet. Over one hundred fans lined the street behind the press and behind the barricades; all armed with cameras, video cameras and movie stills awaiting to be signed by their favorite actor. Anna Ritner of the Sacramento Bee newspaper, who covered the event next to me, posed with AT-BOB, my traveling mascot(more on Bob later).

Other than Arnold, the two celebrities I was most excited to met were Jack Nicholson and Jack LaLanne. But little did I know another awesome legend would arrive unannounced. Star of the upcoming action film "Gran Torino" Clint Eastwood, along with his wife Dina, were all too kind to the press and to the fans.

TheArnoldFans: Hi Clint, you and Arnold are really good friends. Have you ever talked about doing a project together when Arnold is done being Governor?

Clint Eastwood: "Arnold's never going to stop being Governor (laughs). No we haven't really talked about a future project."

TheArnoldFans: Have you ever talked in the past about a team-up project that you wanted to be made?

Clint Eastwood: "I think there was something. But yeah, when Arnold is finished and out of office I'll certainly talk to him and see what we can do together. I'd be happy to work on a film with him. There must be something we can do."

TheArnoldFans: Thanks Clint. Love your work... and you and Arnold REALLY need to do that film!

Clint Eastwood: "Thanks."

Jack LaLanne, was next. One of Arnold's idols, as well as ours, stopped by long enough for me to try to convince him of being a Terminator in the next movie. He laughed at the idea and waved me away like I was crazy.

“I am so honored to have been selected by the Governor and First Lady as an inductee of the 2008 California Hall of Fame. Sharing this honor with eleven other remarkable individuals, and the previous years' inductees, fills me with pride as well as humility.”

More stars arrived including Quincy Jones and Jane Fonda. I was too star-struck to think of a question quick for Jack in his red devil shirt. However, I did shake his hand and tell him he's "The Man." Oh wait, isn't Arnold? Damn, I lied to Jack!

Now Maria Shriver was headed my way and she saw me. I asked her two questions: The first was if she was still planning on attending and running this annual event even after her First Lady duties are up in Sacramento. She said she would not but would be sad not to. Hopefully the next First Lady would be as passionate about the museum, she told me. At least TAFs will get to cover her and Arnold for two more years here on the red carpet.

My second question was to ask if she would sign my Turboman doll (It was earlier only autographed by Jake lloyd). She was happy to sign as I wished her a Merry Christmas. See the final signed Turboman image in my part 2 report!

Now at last, the man who will hopefully soon be "King" (Conan) and the man who is the talk of every entertainment site discussing the possibility of a CG Terminator comeback strides towards me fast. Oh wait, first let me set up this situation. Arnold, as always, is the last big draw on the red carpet and because he was being interviewed by the big news channels first - like Entertainment Tonight and so on, it took up all his time and he had to head inside fast to the ceremony. So naturally I'm thinking I'm not going to have the opportunity to ask him anything. But lucky for me, Schwarzenegger recognizes me and greets me briefly with his usual enthusiasm. He gives me the needed time to sign my collectible.

TheArnoldFans: Merry Christmas Arnold from TheArnoldFns.com. Can you please sign my Turboman doll?

Governor Arnold: "Sure."

I attempt to give Arnold my pen while my hands were full with a camera, a recorder and a Turboman doll.

Governor Arnold: "Ah come on, look at this. It's got da cap on it still. You've got to be ready for these things."

I laugh at Arnold's razzing as I take it back, uncap it and hand it back again.

Governor Arnold: "Now that's more like it."

As Arnold is signing, I get up the ballsy nerve to ask the question.

TheArnoldFans: "Arnold, You're the voice of California. Will your voice also be heard in T4?"

Governor Arnold, perhaps under restraints by McG and the film studio, answers only with the body language and a smile of "You never know." Should we take that as a yes? The tease was promising but it's too soon to get an official answer.

Also, perhaps Arnold doesn't even know yet if he will make the final cut. If the CG work doesn't look good, then Arnold's appearance will be cut. No, I think Arnold is fully aware that his voice WILL be heard in theaters come May of 2009. Because even if we see Roland Kickinger's unsatisfying mug, at least McG will have the intelligence to dub the actor for some Arnold voice-over work. Imagine the sweet irony: Arnold was dubbed in his first film but now he will have the last laugh when his voice will come out of another actor!

Arnold then turned back around to give us a goodbye wave on the red carpet.

Here's something that COULD BE promising for his cyborg comeback. DC Unlimited reveals new TERMINATOR: SALVATION busts and one of them is classified as top secret. Could this possibly be an Arnold head on a endoskeleton body? Does Roland's body get blasted away leaving Arnold's head intact? The silhouette looks like it could perhaps also be a Robert Patrick head. Did anyone ask if Patrick did a face scan for CG work? Click HERE for some fantastic images of these new T4 collectible busts!

Stick around for part 2!

Please visit The California Museum website, www.CaliforniaMuseum.org or Arnold's site at http://gov.ca.gov for more information and to watch the video, access images and biographies of each of the stars.

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Randy Jennings