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E. Adam Thomas of Phoenix takes a smoke break with Jauntianne Saleigh of Los Angeles outside the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" Fan Convention Friday at Cashman Field Center. Photo by Ralph Fountain.

Saturday, October 14, 2000
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

'Rocky Horror' reunion

More than 600 gather to celebrate the 25th anniversary of a cult classic movie

Phillip Pierce paid little mind to attendees of the neighboring Soldier of Fortune convention as he sashayed past them in his Capri pants, white fur stole and blond wig.

"Soldiers of Fortune. Hah! ... Soldiers of fantasy," he harumphed as he made his way into the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" Fan Convention at Cashman Field Center.

But "soldiers of fantasy" might also describe more than 600 loyal troupers who gathered in Las Vegas this weekend to mark the 25th anniversary of the ultimate cult movie.

Stars of the movie -- including Richard O'Brien, who co-wrote the musical and played Riff Raff -- will be at the Hard Rock Hotel showroom today for a party and screening open to the public. Tickets are $25 for the 10:30 p.m. festivities.

The event follows a closed-to-the-public taping in the showroom for the VH1 cable network, in which celebrities will perform karaoke versions of the movie's songs.

Scheduled performers include Eric McCormack of "Will & Grace," Ashton Kutcher of "That '70s Show," Anthony Stewart Head of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," Bijou Phillips, Rashida Jones and Tia Carrera.

"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" foundered in its original 1975 release, but became a midnight movie phenomenon. It still inspires call-and-response rituals from audiences and compels fans to dress up as the characters and perform in front of the screen.

"There's new blood all the time," said Pierce, of Long Beach, Calif., who dressed as a Warholian Transylvanian partygoer.

"We're seeing a lot of daughters and sons of parents (who used to dress up)," said longtime fan Stephanie Freeman, who flew in from suburban London for the convention.

"It just never changes," agreed Megan Tabor, the Las Vegan who organized the convention with VH1 and 20th Century Fox. The studio's new deluxe DVD edition of the movie includes the audience participation rituals.

Though home video largely killed the midnight movie circuit that "Rocky" sprang from in the late '70s, weekly screenings at the Paradise 6 Cinema remain "a place for kids to hang around and be weird still," Tabor said.

But Friday's costume contest was serious business. Seven contestants alone dressed as the relatively minor character of the criminologist narrator. So many dressed as the tap-dancing Columbia that contest host Sal Piro slowed them down so the judges could inspect the costume details for accuracy.

Nell Campbell, who played Columbia in the movie, is expected to judge the costume finals at today's party, along with Patricia Quinn, who played Magenta.

The celebrities "may not know the costumes as well as we do," Piro reminded them, "so my advice is, when you go on that stage -- Sell it, baby!"

VH1 will air "Rocky Horror 25: Anniversary Special" at 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 28