New York, September 26, 2006 – Maybe it was the megawatt cast that brought the celebs to the premiere of "The Departed", or maybe the Boston Irish mobsters who are the subject of the film “persuaded” high-profile folks to hit the Ziegfeld Theatre on Tuesday. It’s not for us to know, but Bono and The Edge, Billy Joel, Ron Wood, Lou Reed and Mira Sorvino were among those who traipsed the red carpet for Martin Scorsese’s crime drama, set in Beantown.
Rolling Stone Mick Jagger keeps it real, eschewing Botox and covering his wrinkles with mere sunglasses. The 63-year-old stepped out of his car, and popped on the shades before the flashbulbs lit up; when asked to remove them, the media savvy rock star first stepped back to a more flattering distance from the camera lenses, and only then showed us his famous face.
Mark Wahlberg had no entourage, and must still be in character from his football epic "Invincible", because he sprinted down the red carpet and into the theater with nary a nod to us. Or maybe he just had to pee. Leonardo DiCaprio tried the same tactic, but his defense strategy clearly needs work, because packs of journalists kept surrounding him on the carpet. Or maybe he just needs a more aggressive publicist.
The usually reticent Martin Scorsese, on the other hand, was practically a chatterbox. Don’t tell Mayor Bloomberg, but Jack Nicholson was chain smoking. New parents Matt Damon and Luciana Barroso glowed. Jon Voight showed up unannounced, bizarrely promoting a young woman that he introduced as his goddaughter, Skyler Shaye.
