Just to reiterate what we’ve already Tweeted and Facebooked multiple times – and you should join our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/answerthismovie when you get a chance – I want to thank everyone for being part of an amazing night at the Michigan Theater this past Friday. We had standing-room-only for the first show – more than 1,700 people – and at least 400 people at the second show. And it was a blast.

We’ve got lots of great pics on our Facebook page for you to check out, and I invite everyone to add their own memories and pictures from the night as well. As a special bonus, check out this cool spot on Michigan filmmaking and “Answer This!” produced by the Big Ten Network show OUT OF THE BLUE. It features interviews with the cast and creator, behind-the-scenes footage, and clips from the film itself.

Enjoy – and thanks again for everything!

HUGE NEWS: due to overwhelming demand, we’ve added a SECOND SCREENING on Friday Night! That’s right – if you were too late to buy tickets to the first sold-out show, you can now buy tickets online to the new 10 PM show at the Michigan Theater!

Plus, some of the stars and creators will be sticking around to keep you comp…any and head to the after-party at midnight!

Some of you have also asked about parking. Click Here for the Michigan Theater’s recommendations.

See you soon. Excitement! Parking! Excitement!

-Chris

Doesn’t that sound like a great name for a band? Maybe trip hop or ska?

But no, it’s more than that – it’s our latest promotion! The Diag Boards we put up of the Ralph Williams silhouette were so popular that, well, someone stole one of them.

The thought of him hanging above the fireplace in some drunken frat house was more than enough to assuage my grief, and thankfully we still had one left to share with the whole city. And share it we are: the giant yellow vinyl Diag board is touring from one cool Ann Arbor store to another, appearing in display windows for one day. At the beginning of the day we’ll Tweet and Facebook the location – and wherever Ralph appears you’ll be able to find great deals on that store’s amazing wares. Yes, I said it – “amazing wares.”

First up today: This & That, on State Street. These guys have an amazing candy selection, and now they have Ralph Williams hanging in their window, which means they also have amazing coolness. And discounts. Oh, the discounts!

Stop by today, and check in tomorrow for the next store to feature our movie and Ralph!

- Chris

Check out this great promotional stuff – including a Q&A with yours truly – from MotorCity Trivia, who’s helping us put on the celebrity trivia night at Ashley’s on October 7. These guys are the real deal – they give out big cash prizes at their events. All I ever won in trivia was a cheap bottle of wine. (Not to be underestimated, mind you.)

-Chris

As some of you may (or may not) know, in my former life I was a journalist. So it was a huge thrill for me when editor John Lofy gave me a chance to write a piece in the first person for his fantastic magazine Michigan Today – all about my experience shooting my first film at my alma mater.

In addition to hearing me wax nostalgic for a while, the piece also gives you the chance to see a new advance clip of the movie – and to play a trivia game for a shot at free T-shirts, and – best yet – free VIP tickets to the Sneak Preview in October at the Michigan Theater. Check it out if you get a chance… and go easy on me! It’s been a while since those journalism days.

http://michigantoday.umich.edu/story.php?id=7854

-Chris Farah

UPDATE: The Shirt is now available for purchase online! Make yourself cool for only $19.95!

http://ugpmichiganapparel.com/?p=prod_page&id=1232&color_id=204

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You’ve heard all the talk, the rumors, the irresponsible conjecture. Well, it’s finally here. No, not Answer This! the Movie — Answer This! the T-Shirt. That’s right, we’re releasing our first official movie merchandise, a T-Shirt inspired by Professor Ralph Williams. Not only is he a real-life academic star and cult figure at the University of Michigan, but he’s also a star of our movie. And now he’s achieved that one true mark of success: his very own shirt. And it’s spectacular.

Even better, it also comes in pink! (Trust me, it’s pink. Fine, light pink. The silhouette is brown.)

The amazing design was executed by our good friends at Underground Printing in Ann Arbor. As anyone who’s taken his classes or seen our movie knows, Professor Williams also has a very endearing catch phrase, here immortalized with Professor Williams’ face in, um, 100% cotton: “Yea / Nay?” (or “yay”/nay for the spelling impaired.)

The shirts will go on sale next week at Underground Shirts on South University in Ann Arbor AND the M Den on State Street, for $20 a pop. A great bargain for such high fashion. We’re also working out an online ordering system for the shirts as I type. So very soon, people all over the country – nay, world – will be able to purchase these wonderful shirts, thereby having at least one reason to live.

Perhaps more exciting: On Thursday, September 9, at 7pm, Professor Williams and I will be appearing for a special event at the M Den on State Street where we’ll talk about filming our first feature film together at the University we both love. I’m sure the goodly professor will also quote Shakespeare or Milton or some such.

See you there!

–Chris

Click here and check out the info. Can’t wait to see you all for our special “Giving Back to the Community” Screening — this one is for all the local people who’ve been so supportive in the making of the film!

Go to www.ticketweb.com to buy your tix!

For all the fans and aspiring filmmakers out there, we’ve got a huge announcement — In true Ann Arbor spirit, we’re asking you all to get creative and get involved. We are now accepting short films from University students, alumni, and Ann Arbor residents for our official “Love Letters to Ann Arbor” contest. Not only will you have a blast making your own movie, but it also gives you a great chance to be a part of the Answer This! DVD and national theatrical release – the kind of exposure and experience that indie filmmakers dream of! (Trust me, I know – I’m one of them.)

WHAT: A short film, video, or animation under 5 minutes about the city of Ann Arbor. We want you to capture the different flavors of Ann Arbor – locations, vibes, atmospheres. Make it personal and make it creative!

WHEN: Submissions are due by 11:59 PM, September 30th, 2010.

HOW: Just load them onto YouTube and post us a link on the Answer This! Facebook page. From there, we will link it to the movie’s official YouTube channel.

And most importantly,

WHY: The two best films will be featured on the DVD of Answer This! In addition, the winners will receive two free tickets to the Ann Arbor Special Screening of the film on October 8th, an invitation to the pre-party with the stars of the film, and lunch with Director Chris Farah and Producer Mike Farah, the president of production for the celebrity comedy website Funny or Die.

The DVDs will be available locally and nation-wide in the spring of 2011 In addition, the shorts may be chosen to run before the film at the Michigan Theater premiere on October 8th, along the festival circuit, and in wide release, at the discretion of the Answer This! team.

So take a walk through the Arb, grab an Open Road from Zingerman’s, pull out your cameras, and give us a flavor of Ann Arbor!

Check out the RULES here. Any questions, feel free to leave a comment on the site, or contact our marketing wiz, Michael Burke at burkema@umich.edu.

Can’t wait to see the entries!

- Chris

You asked for it – and here it is! Embedded below (as opposed to an annoying link) is the amazing video produced by the University of Michigan Alumni Association about “Answer This!” Full props go to their New Media Guru, Ben Logan, who shot and edited the entire thing. The video features an interview with me, Producer Mike Farah, and Star Ralph Williams in Ashley’s Pub, talking about the movie and the crucial roll that Ann Arbor and the University play in it. For the first time, you can also see clips from the film! Enjoy!

- Chris

I’ve been teasing you, tempting you, building the anticipation until you could barely stand it anymore. Yeah, my sincerest apologies for that. But now, finally, here it is… “Answer This!” will be host a Special Screening in Ann Arbor…

Friday, October 8 at 7:30 PM at the Michigan Theater!

To anyone paying close attention, this may not have come as too much of a surprise, thanks to some intrepid reporting by AnnArbor.com, and, well, thanks to me prematurely spilling the beans in a great interview with Shei Magazine. But now it’s officially official: October 8 is the night, and Ann Arbor’s Michigan Theater is the place, and ALL are welcome! (More on options for buying advance tickets soon.)

The Ann Arbor Special Screening will be a chance for “Answer This!” to show its deep appreciation to the city and the university community for all the support they’ve given us, during the shoot and since. Our movie won’t have its grand national premiere until next year, when it’ll be appearing at a major, high-profile film festival (more on that to come), followed by a wide theatrical release to major markets and college towns around the country. But Ann Arbor and the U will get to see it FIRST, before anyone else, as our way of saying thanks.

And because it’ll be tons of fun.

Not only will we be there, but there will also be plenty of cast, including Chris Gorham (who stars in the great new hit show on USA, “Covert Affairs.” Check it out!), Professor Ralph Williams, and more. And we’ll be holding awesome promotional events throughout the week to get people pumped for Friday night:

• An “Answer This!” Pub Trivia Night at Ashley’s, in which teams will get paired with – and match wits with – our cast members. (Time and day to come)

• An autograph session with us and cast at M Den, on State and Liberty, where we’ll show off great “Answer This!” merchandise, including Ice Tiger shirts and an amazing Ralph Williams “Yea/Nay?” shirt we’re designing right now.

• A panel discussion at the Ann Arbor Public Library on Monday, October 4.

• Not to mention a big bash at the Michigan Union after the screening itself.

POST YOUR SUGGESTIONS for other October events in the comments section – and if we use your idea, we’ll give you a FREE DVD of the movie, along with OTHER GOODIES. (Why oh why do I KEEP using ALL CAPS??)

More information on advance ticketing for the Special Screening soon! We’ll also be releasing our official trailers and movie poster within the next two weeks! Excitement! I look forward to hearing all ideas for events and promotions, and in the meantime, please make sure to check out this amazing video piece on the movie, us, and Ralph Williams, produced by the University of Michigan. It even has some advance clips of the film!

– Chris