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Photos: Inside The 'Step Brothers'-Inspired, Real-Life Catalina Wine Mixer
How's this for nostalgia? The real-life f*cking Catalina Wine Mixer, as it was referred to many, many times in the movie Step Brothers, finally happened over the weekend.
Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly may not have shown up to the first Catalina Wine Mixer on Sunday at the Descanso Beach Club on Avalon, but there were plenty of guests dressed in apparel fit for the 2008 movie—like Miami Vice-inspired ensembles from the "Boats 'N Hoes" music video, along with lots of stuffy suits. LAist photographer Perhansa Skallerup was on hand, and noted that the crowd ranged from bros and ballers to wannabe ballers.
And since one of the characters in the movie refers to the Catalina Wine Mixer as the "biggest helicopter leasing event in the western hemisphere since 1997," there were helicopters being sold and leased at the event, and RC Copters for those on a tighter copter budget. Even the mixer's main attraction, The Dan Band, which has performed in flicks like Old School and The Hangover, arrived by helicopter earlier that morning.
The crowd was rather excited to see The Dan Band, who teased the crowd and said that Ferrell and Reilly might show up NEXT year. Adam Lasher from American Idol also performed a set for the crowd during sunset, playing reworked classics from The Cure, Beastie Boys, and Joe Cocker's "With a Little Help From My Friends."
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During a set break, guests were invited on stage to sing "Boat 'N Hoes," naturally.
There were complimentary tacos, poke and desserts for the folks who bought VIP tickets. Although the mixer ended at 9 p.m., wine seemed to stop flowing around 6 p.m.—womp womp. Skallerup said he overheard some people saying they had hoped for more movie tie-ins, like a Ferrell and Reilly performance of their epic "Por Ti Volare" opera.
Here's some video for those who missed the real-life f*cking Catalina Wine Mixer:
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