The X-Men Origins: Wolverine Premiere contest has come to a close and the winner is… sorry California, you get enough already… Tempe, Arizona!
Voting for the popular web contest first introduced by Hugh Jackman entered its final day on Friday with Tempe and Davis, CA in a dead heat for the top spot. Voting was so frantic in the final hours that the voting page crashed completely for more than a few minutes on at least one occasion.
The first indication Tempe had won came Saturday afternoon when Fox sent out a blast email to an unknown number of recipients — myself included — naming Tempe as the winner. The email mentioned a 12pm announcement by Hugh Jackman (likely via video) at the Harkins theater on Monday in which the first 100 fans in line will receive a ticket to the premiere.
I was about to run with the news until a subsequent email said please disregard the test as “votes were still being tallied.” I figured that was a “CYA” response and thought better but held the news “just in case.”
The winner is not supposed to be announced until Monday but don’t tell USA Today that. This evening the news officially broke on their Lifeline Live blog complete with quotes from Jackman upon hearing the results. Apparently Hugh is excited as he has never been to Arizona and he “…love(s) meeting the fans, particularly with these movies. I know how passionate they are, and I love to share it with them…”
What Hugh may not realize is Harkins Cine Capri at Tempe Marketplace is situated in an outdoor shopping center. Pick up some toilet paper at Target and go see Hugh Jackman. Sounds like a good time!
The X-Men Origins: Wolverine Premiere is set for Monday, April 27. Since Tempe is less than a half-hour from me you can bet I’ll do my best to get in and report back.
